Life Continues
by June.Louise
Summary: Just read! Summary is inside. Mainly SS. On temporary HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone!

This is a sequel to my story 'Life' though I don't think you must have read it to understand this one. This one will clearly include more Ryan and Marissa and the Cohen kids. I hope you will like it and review. Some things, like the time of thing to happen, are different in this story than in 'Life'. I have this one a little more planned and I promise you all to do my very best writing it.

Summary: It's year 2021 and the Cohen family has grown. Seth and Summer are living their life with their children and has to deal with everything about being parents. A dear friend from the past appears and brings old memories back and not only for the Cohen's. Something of a sequel to my story Life but it's not necessary to have read that one. It's basically just the same characters and the same things have happened in the past.

For you who haven't read Life, here's a quick summary of that story: (**Don't read this if you want to read the story!**)

Summer and Seth are married since March 2007 when they were twenty. They got a daughter called Ava Summer Jacqueline Cohen in October 2007 and Casey Benjamin Drew was born in May 2011. They still live in Newport and have a pretty good life. Summer's designing wedding dresses and Seth's working at Newport Group together with Ryan.

Marissa is engaged to a guy called Anton and has moved from Newport and lives her own life now. Ryan is married to Felicity and they're expecting a child. Sandy and Kirsten are still together, of course, and Neil and Summer's stepmother Karen is too.

One night when life seems to be perfect Neil gives Summer the news that her mother Francesca, who left when Summer was six, has got cancer and is very sick. After a hard time to decide what to do, Summer goes to Minneapolis, which is the town her mother lives in. At first there is a very tense atmosphere and Summer's having a hard time to deal with her feelings. Francesca tells her the truth about her suddenly disappearance. She was an agent and had no other choice but leave.

After many second thoughts Summer realises that this is her chance to get to know her mother and finally she's able to forgive her. The whole family goes to Minneapolis and has a great time getting to know Francesca but one night Francesca dies. As hard as it is to accept that her mother is gone forever, Summer goes from the funeral knowing that her mother's fine and that she if too. Life would continue.

**Life continues**

Chapter one 

The morning rush was in its full row. Seth was in the kitchen making omelettes, coffee, sandwiches; all at the same time. At the kitchen table sat the ten year old Casey; the only son in the Cohen household. Right now he was reading a comic.

It was funny how Seth and Summer's looks and personalities were shown in their kids. Their oldest daughter Ava, now fourteen years old, loved to paint and took several art classes at school. She rambled when she was nervous and had most of Summer's looks. Ava had a pretty classic look and was very slim; she really was a beauty and became more so every day.

Casey was mostly like Seth. He had the curly hair and the tall body. He was a little shy and a bit of an outsider at school. The only friends he'd got were the friends from his football team. The football team was the only place where he didn't get teased. He was actually quite popular and was a very good player. Both Seth and Summer hated the fact that their son got teased. Seth had been there himself and knew the feeling and Summer had watched Seth too many times get memories back from the time he was a looser in school. Summer couldn't stand the fact that she had been a teaser when she was a girl. The best thing they could do was to be there for their son whenever he needed them. One thing that Seth was very proud over was that Casey liked comics. He encouraged him to read as many as possible and often bought some on the way home from work.

The youngest Cohen was Isabelle, or Belle which she was called. She was six years old and the family's little baby. Isabelle was an in between of Summer and Seth; she could be very girly and was their first kid who said ew, but on the other side she was a little of a boy-girl. Since she was the youngest one in the family some would call her spoiled but they just liked keeping her as the baby.

Seth and Summer were very happy with their little family. They had built up a home full of love and they were more in love than ever.

Summer was upstairs, helping Isabelle to get ready for school. She loved to have those little moments with each child. For Isabelle it was helping her get dressed and do her hair.

"Mommy, do you think Santa will give me a lot of presents this year?" Isabelle said as Summer brushed her long, dark hair.

"We'll see Belle. But you're a good girl and what does a good girl get?"

"Presents!" Isabelle almost yelled out, apparently proud of herself.

She was much excited for Christmas, or Chrismukkah as it also was called. In the Cohen family the celebrations at holidays were big and Chrismukkah was their favourite holiday.

"Come on, pumpkin! Let's get downstairs for breakfast." Summer said as she finished Isabelle's hair. Isabelle jumped up and ran downstairs, with Summer walking normally down the stairs after her.

"It smells good." Summer said as she walked into the kitchen, giving Seth a kiss on his lips. Isabelle sat in her fathers arms.

"Morning Casey! What're you doing?" She kissed the top of her sons head and started to help her husband bring the last things to the table.

"I'm just reading one of dad's old comics. It's really good." Summer smiled and went over to Seth and grabbed Isabelle.

"Come on; go sit by the table next to your brother." Isabelle did what she was told and started to eat her cereal.

"Where's Ava?" Casey asked with his mouth full of food.

"She's still sleeping; she begins at ten today, right?" Seth said looking at Summer, sipping the hot coffee.

"Casey, don't talk with food in your mouth. And yes, Ava's sleeping in a bit. I think she needs it; it's been very stressful at school for her lately." Summer thought back of all the stress she'd felt as a teenager. Ava was a very bright girl and did everything perfect in school. She got straight A: s all the time, which made Summer so proud over her. She'd never been a cleaver kid herself at school and was very happy that her children did well.

Though Ava spent a lot of time with school work and with her projects; she was a member in several clubs and went to church to sing twice a week; Summer still tried to do things with her, spend time with her. Summer had a very strong will to be the best mother she could. They went shopping, which was an interest that Ava apparently had gotten from Summer. Ava also had a lot of friends, just like Summer had when she was younger. But all of Ava's friends were very nice people, on the contrary to what friends Summer had had. She had three or four girlfriends which were the closest. Some of them went in the same class and some of them she had met at one of her many activities.

Today, Summer would wait to go to work until Ava needed to go to school. So Seth was the one to take Casey and Isabelle. Seth usually began work early and today Ryan was home with his seven year old daughter Paige, so Seth would have plenty to do.

"Mommy!" Isabelle yelled as she ran down the stairs as she always did whenever she was going somewhere. Seth and Summer had tried to teach her not to run indoor, but she always seemed to forget.

"What, Belle?" Summer said, packing her youngest daughters bag for school.

"You have to go up to Ava; she's sad." the little girl sad in a hurry.

"Well, what happened? Did you wake her up?"

"No, I heard her crying so I went inside her room. I don't know what's wrong, but she told me to get you." Summer could tell that she told the truth; she wouldn't lie about her sister.

"Okay, thanks for letting me know. Now, you should get ready to go. Casey! Seth!" Summer called and they both entered the room, ready for the day.

"I have to go up to Ava and you have to go otherwise you'll be late." Summer said and kissed Isabelle's cheek, Casey's forehead and Seth's lips.

"Are you going to wake her up already?" Seth asked.

"No, she's awake. Isabelle told me she's upset so I better go find out what's wrong."

"Yeah, I hope she's okay."

"She probably is, but I'll call you later and let you know, okay?"

"Okay, I love you."

"Love you too." Summer gave in for another kiss. "Have a nice day!" She then said to everybody and they went in different directions.

To be continued...

This was just an introduction chapter and I promise to post the next chapter very soon. I will not make the same mistake as I did in Life and have the story too cheesy and too much without a major incident. But I don't really know how it's going to turn out, so we all have to wait and see if I can stick to my word.

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews. It's first in the next chapter some drama will come, but untill then this might be a little cheesy and just some introduction to the story.

Chapter two 

Summer knocked on Ava's bedroom door.

"Come in." Summer opened the door to find a crying Ava sitting on her bed.

"Oh baby, what's wrong?" She said as she walked and sat next to her daughter, taking her into her arms as Ava still was crying. Ava willingly leaned in and continued to cry into Summer's shoulder. Summer stroked her dark, thick hair, which was long enough to reach a bit down her upper arms.

"Ava? Tell me what happened."

"Mom, I think I got my period." Ava said sobbing. Summer smiled, happy that it wasn't anything serious. Her beautiful girl had become a woman.

"Oh, sweetie, that's wonderful!"

"No, it's not. It's disgusting! I can't believe that all women go through this every month." Summer let out a little laugh.

"Of course it's not the most fun thing, but its part of what makes us women." She said and kissed Ava's forehead; she had now stopped crying.

"But I don't want to have it yet. I know I'm fourteen but I still don't want to."

"Sweetie, now's the perfect time. It will be a little tough in the beginning, but after a few times it's a routine. Everything will be just fine. I bet a lot of your fiends at school already got it."

"They have, but I wanted it to come later." Ava said and rested her head underneath Summer's chin.

"Hey, what about you go and take a shower and I'll clean up. I'll help you when you're done, okay?" Summer pulled away and gave her daughter's cheek a slight touch.

"Okay. Will you take my clothes?" Summer nodded and got up. She knew how important it was for a girl to have a mother helping her with stuff. She remembered her own first time; it had been awful.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When Ava and Summer later sat in the living room watching the Valley and eating ice cream, Summer remembered that she had to call Seth.

"Ava, I have to call your father, but I'll be right back."

"Sure." Ava said very much into the show. Summer went out to the backyard and dialled Seth's number at work.

"Seth Cohen." He answered in his usual tone.

"Hi, it's me."

"Hi, honey! Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm home today with Ava."

"Why? Is she sick?"

"No, she had her first period and she's a little upset so I decided to spend the day with her."

"Oh, okay." Seth said, suddenly sounding a little uncomfortable. He would let Summer take care of those things, though he was glad that she told him. He had been a little worried this morning over Ava, but now he knew that she was okay. He had never really gotten the whole thing about menstruation, but he sure noticed on Summer that it wasn't the funniest thing in the world. Sometimes he was very pleased with being a guy.

"So, how's work?" Summer asked after a while.

"The usual, though it's more to do today."

"Yeah, I better let you continue then and head back to Ava; we're in the middle of the Valley."

"You're still watching that?" He said with a laugh, but decided not to argue with Summer about what she thought was the best show ever. "Well, I guess I see you at home later."

"Yeah, I love you."

"I love you too. Say hi to Ava from me."

"I will, bye." They both put the phones down and Summer returned to the living room, where Ava still sat on the sofa. She had put the ice cream away though and didn't seem as interested in the television any more; she seemed to be thinking about something.

"Ava? Are you okay?" Summer said as she sat down next to her daughter.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just a little down."

"Yeah, that's totally normal. You can feel a little sad during your period."

"Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When did you get your first period?" Summer watched Ava's face and knew that she was ready for a little chat.

"I was a late one; I was 15. I remember I was home after school; it was a Friday, a week after my 15th birthday. You know I lived with my dad?"

"Yeah." Ava nodded interestedly.

"Well, I didn't have a woman at home and I freaked out. My stepmother wasn't in town and I'm not sure I would have told her anyway. I had no idea what to do."

"Then what did you do? You have to have done something, did you tell Grandpa?"

"I waited for hours in my room, crying. I would've called Marissa, she was the only friend I could talk to about something like that. I thought that it was embarrassing that I was so late; everyone I knew had already gotten it years ago and everyone thought that I had too. But Marissa wasn't home; she was on a trip somewhere although her mother Julie was home so after a while I called her."

"Julie Cooper helped you?" Ava was in shock and actually Summer was too; she still couldn't believe that Julie Cooper had been there. To think of it now was kind of embarrassing though she was glad that someone was there for her then even if it had been terrible.

"Wow, so you didn't tell your dad?"

"No, he's one of those old fashioned fathers and I wouldn't talk to him about things like that."

"Well, I'm happy that I don't need to talk to dad about such things, but I would rather talk to him than Julie Cooper."

"She wasn't that bad then; she was the closest to a mother I knew when I was younger. Though after 16 I would never have gone to her."

"Who would you go to then?"

"Your grandmother I believe. I met your dad at 16, but you already know that."

"Well, dad says that you met when you were kids, but I know what you mean; you got to know him at 16."

"Yeah, you're right. You're father and I have some different opinions when it comes to the story of when we first met, but for me it was 16."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hello, I'm home!" Seth called as he came in from the front door a little later than usual.

"Hi Cohen!" Summer said, entering the foyer. She leaned in for a kiss and then stayed in Seth's arms.

"Sorry I'm late. It's been plenty to do at work."

"It's okay honey. I bet we can say you worked for me today too."

"You didn't work at all?"

"No, I and Ava had a day at home, remember? I let her stay home from school today; she was pretty sad and a little afraid I think. She only had a few lessons and she's doing fine."

"I know; she's a smart kid."

"Must've gotten that from you."

"Hey, you're smart. I believe you have a very good job and how could you be such a great mother and wife if you weren't, huh?"

"Whatever, but you can't say that I was smart at her age because I definitely wasn't. I'm glad that she's doing so well in school."

"We do have reasons to be proud of her don't we?" Seth said and grabbed her face to give her a kiss. To have a family certainly gave you reasons to be grateful for the small moments and don't waist them. Of course Seth and Summer could have more privacy as the children weren't babies any more, but instead there were new things they had to deal with. Diaper change and sleepless nights were replaced by lunch bags and school activities.

"Daddy!" Isabelle yelled, running up to her parents and hanging onto Seth's arm. Summer and Seth pulled away and Seth lifted their little daughter up to his arms.

"Hi Belle!"

"Daddy, can we go to the beach tomorrow? I mean after Casey's game, please." She looked at him with pleading eyes, knowing how to make him fall for them. All Cohen children had the same affect at Seth as Summer had when they looked at him with those eyes. They were dark and deep and he could drown in them.

"We'll see sweetie." Seth said glaring over at Summer. Isabelle loved to go to the beach and Seth guessed that she'd been on Summer about it since she got home from school.

"Please!" She begged.

"Daddy said we'll see Belle. Why don't you go get your brother and sister? Dinner's ready."

"Yay, fajitas!" Isabelle yelled again and ran upstairs as fast as she could. Isabelle was so excited about everything and was always in a hurry it seemed.

"She's so energetic I can't believe it. And we thought that Ava was loud when she was a kid." Summer said as they walked into the green and white kitchen. The green colour was very light and that together with the white made the kitchen seem even bigger that it was. The kitchen was a room that they used all the time and it needed to be big. They were five people in the family and there were an island and bar chairs, a kitchen table and plenty of space to cook and socialise at. Though the kitchen never looked too big; it had some colourful decoration which made it look very homey and much like a room.

Tonight Summer had made fajitas and the kitchen had a lovely smell. It was Friday night and Summer or Seth always did a special dinner where everybody always ate together; it was one of there family traditions.

"Sum, this looks great. Who had believed that you would turn out to be such a good cook?" After seeing the expression on her face he added: "Though I'm so glad you did, I never have to eat take out's anymore." Summer giggled as she put the drinks on the table.

"Well, I happen to like to cook; it's very much fun and relaxing. Friday's are my favourites."

"Mine too." Seth replied and hugged her from behind, kissing her neck and continuing his way up to her face. Summer smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying her husbands touch; he knew exactly where her sensitive spots were.

"Whoa, get a room!" they heard Casey say and knew that he was making one of his faces at them. He was fallowed by Ava with Isabelle on her back into the room. Ava seemed to be in her usual mood again as she played together with her sister. Isabelle really adored Ava and always wanted to do exactly what Ava did. And Ava was always there to play with her and they almost never fought. Seth looked at his oldest daughter; she was so beautiful and today she had become a woman. She wasn't daddy's little girl any more; she was a young woman.

Ava had pretty much got all Summer's looks, though she was taller and had a more classic look, maybe that came from Kirsten. Seth couldn't see it, but Ava had his smile and the slim body. Her body was a mixture of Seth and Summer; she was tiny and slim, but still not short as she'd been as a child. She wasn't long either; she was something in between.

All their children were very beautiful and good humans. Seth and Summer had done their best to raise them into polite and good kids with their love. And in the Cohen household there were always plenty of love; had always been and would always be.

To be continued...

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

I thought that I'd post this chapter because I wanna show you guys where this story's going.

Chapter three 

"Go Casey!"

"Keep going Case!" The whole family was in the audience cheering for Casey. It was a tradition for them all to go on not only Casey's games but all the kids' different events. The football team was the only place where Casey wasn't made fun at and he actually had friends. He loved the sport and was really good at it; his playmates didn't care if he was teased at school; here they were his friends. Of course they all went to other schools and Seth and Summer hadn't thought about changing school for Casey just once.

"Go Casey!" Summer shouted as he was on his way to the goal with the ball. He ran as fast as he could, looking happier than ever; that boy sure adored football. And that was something that they all encouraged him to do. Kirsten and Sandy being as crazy and proud as every parent, since Seth had never done sports except sailing. Ryan and Neil happy to have a nephew and a grandson since they only had daughters. Ava, Isabelle and Paige just enjoying to spend time with each other and the rest of the family. Seth and Summer being prouder than ever.

As Casey shot a goal and ran round the plan, his hand up in the air screaming with the rest of his team, Seth and Summer clapped their hands till it hurt. Their voices had long ago let them down but that didn't stop them to continue with the cheering.

A thought crossed Seth's mind as Casey gave a wave to them. What if he had ended up marrying someone else, like Anna, and gotten kids with her? If so were to be Casey would be as much of a loser he'd been himself as a child. The fact that his son was getting teased in school was hard but to see him at moments like these he seemed to forget about it for a second.

Seth put his arm round Summer's shoulders and pulled her close, feeling her arm slide up his back as he did so. They both had huge grins on their faces and for now Casey seemed to be the happy child he'd used to be.

They stayed that way for the rest of the game, watching their son and being so pleased about the world and their lives.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

After the game they had all went straight home to Summer and Seth's to have dinner. Neil had just stayed for a while since he had to get back to work. He had always been a workaholic and would probably always be, but at least he got money from it. Summer was used to him always working and being away for business trips and she accepted it; he could still be a good father. Though she would never allow Seth to be away that much and not spend time with her and the kids. She figured that they were both pretty lucky; having jobs they enjoyed and still be able to have a life.

Summer placed the last plate in the dishwasher and then left the kitchen to see what the others were up to. She found Seth, Ryan and Casey by the video game and Sandy with the youngest girls next to them by the sofa. The video games were still as popular in the Cohen home; Seth would probably still play when he was eighty. They all seemed to be busy; Isabelle and Paige whispering things in Sandy's ears while he tried to watch the boys play. Summer looked around for Ava and Kirsten and found them in the living room.

"Hey." She said as she walked up to them and sat down next to Ava at the couch.

"Hi mom."

"Did you finish up in the kitchen?" Kirsten asked.

"No, but I'll do it later. What are you guys doing?"

"We were just talking and I can finish the kitchen; I'll start preparing the dessert." Kirsten rose and tightened her shirt.

"Oh, you don't have to do that Kirsten. It's okay; I'll do it later."

"No, really. You sit down for a while. Let me take care of it; I want to." Summer gave her mother in law a thankful smile and Kirsten left her and Ava alone.

"So sweetie, are you okay?" Summer tucked some hair behind Ava's ear, studying her daughter.

"Yeah, I'm great. I just told Grandma about the Christmas concert. She said her and Grandpa are coming." Ava smiled proudly.

"Of course they'll come. How's the practising going by the way? Have you decided about the solo?"

"Yeah, I'm doing it. I just have to pick a song. I still have a few ones to choose between; I want it to be perfect."

"I'm sure it will be great Ava; you have a beautiful voice. But don't get too stressed about it." Ava knew where this was going and she hated it; Summer knew that.

"I love that you are having a lot of projects and I'm so proud of you honey, but don't let it be too much okay? Nothing's perfect Ava; nothing." Ava looked really uncomfortable and swallowed.

"You mean that there's something wrong in everything I do?" Summer immediately took one of Ava's hands into her own.

"No, no Ava. I mean that nothing can be perfect; there's no such thing. No one is perfect and if someone was that would be inhuman. Everything you do will always be perfect for me; because it's you. What I'm saying is that it doesn't matter. Whatever you'll sing or do it will be perfect to me. I just don't want you to work too hard on something that's already great."

"I can do this mom." Ava said, getting a little irritated.

"I know you can baby; I'm just worried about you. Promise me that you'll tell me if you need any help, whatever it is." Summer gently said looking her daughter straight in the eyes though Ava looked away almost immediately.

"I promise, but I won't need it. I can do this! Will you please excuse me?" Ava took her hand away and stood up, walking away from her mother. Summer sighed and took her head in her hands; Ava was too stubborn.

oooooooooooooooooooo

"Come on dad; I'm totally winning here." Casey laughed. Maybe for once he could actually beat his father.

"Casey, I admit that you are better than me at this game okay? So we can stop playing."

"No dad, you're not getting away with this. I have to win, for real." Seth gave a sigh but continued to play. He knew that Casey was going to win this, but as much as Seth knew that he was the grown up; he also knew that he was a bad loser; really bad.

"Come on Seth, let the boy win. You've won enough already." Seth gave Ryan a glare and soon the screen showed game over.

"Ha, I won! I can't believe I won. Over dad! He's like the master of video games. Grandpa, I won!" Casey was very excited and jumped up and down. And when he did that Seth had no choice but smile at him; he sure had taught him well.

"Who wants to play next?" Seth stood up and left the controller on the floor by his pillow. He sat by the couch next to Sandy and the girls while Ryan placed himself where Seth had been sitting.

"I'll play; someone else has to try to win over the new master." Casey made a laugh as they started to play again. Seth watched for once and saw his son kick Ryan's ass. He gently began to stroke Casey's curly hair. He turned his head around for a second and gave Seth a smile before he turned his attention back towards the game.

"Daddy, this is boring. Will you play a game with me, Paige and Grandpa?" Isabelle climbed onto Seth and gave him her pleading chocolate eyes; they always seemed to work their magic on Seth.

"Uh, why not Belle?" He rose and pulled her up with him. He tiny legs went round his waist and her arms round his neck. She was very used to be in his arms and her position came naturally.

"Grandpa, Paige, aren't you coming?" She said from Seth's arms as he carried her to the table. They both rose and walked after them and they began to play the game that was already up. Isabelle had played it several times the past days as it was a new game.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

In the dining room Kirsten and Summer set the table for the dessert. The dining room wasn't that big, but it was enough for Summer and Seth's friends and family to fit round the table. It was also open to the living room and there were huge windows to make the room more spacey and light.

"So what did you and Ava talk about?" Summer asked trying to be as normal as she could.

"Oh, school and Christmas; nothing special. Why?"

"I'm just a little worried about her I guess, but I'm sure it's nothing."

"Why, has something happened?" Kirsten gave her a worried look.

"No, I just think she's working too hard in school and she has so much other things to do. I guess I'm worried that she thinks that she has to prove herself or something. She's always talked to me about everything but now she won't say a word." Summer realised that she was trembling a little and she had to stop talking, sit down.

"I'm sure she'll come to you when she's ready; she knows that she can talk to you Summer." Kirsten sat next to her and put a supporting hand on her back. Summer nodded but Kirsten could see that she really was concerned so she gave in for a hug. Summer hugged her back and took a deep breath.

"You want me to try to talk to her?" Kirsten suggested as they pulled apart.

"You could try but you should probably wait a little; I bet she's still upset."

"Yeah, I'll go get everybody." Kirsten then left the room to go the family room. Summer decided to get Ava; she would have to face her sooner or later.

Summer gently knocked at her door and Ava answered in seconds. Summer went inside Ava's beige and purple room and was met by Ava, who flung her arms round her, which took Summer by surprise. She quickly hugged her back though.

"I'm sorry mommy."

"Don't worry about it sweetie. You know I'm just worried about you." Summer said while she lightly rocked her daughter and kissed her head.

"I'm still sorry."

"I know. Why don't we go down and have some dessert?" Ava nodded and Summer took her hand.

As they were down the stairs the door bell rang.

"You go to the dining room, I'll get the door."

"Sure." Ava hurried through the foyer to the living room as Summer went to the door.

"Just be sure to save some cake for me. Don't let your father eat…" She opened the door and the smile she'd had on her face faded. "…it all." she whispered. "Marissa?" Summer was shocked to see her 'best' friend stand in front of her; it had been four years.

To be continued...

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for reviewing, keep them coming.

I get a lot of reviwers telling me that they have read Life though now is the first time they are reviewing. Sad. People; review!

Though I appriciate all readers, but for you who review; I like you just a little bit more.

Chapter four 

_"Sure." Ava hurried through the foyer to the living room as Summer went to the door. _

_"Just be sure to save some cake for me. Don't let your father eat…" She opened the door and the smile she'd had on her face faded. "…it all." she whispered. "Marissa?" Summer was shocked to see her 'best' friend stand in front of her; it had been four years. _

"It's me." Marissa shyly said as she still stood on the same step.

"Oh my God, Coop." Summer motioned for Marissa to step inside and gave her the most awkward of hugs. Marissa looked a little different but it had been years. She was still the tall and skinny girl and looked pretty much like she used to, though maybe a little older.

"What are you doing here? Come on in." Summer opened the door wider and let Marissa in. She looked shy and confused as she walked into the big foyer, looking around.

"I…I came back here an hour ago. I just left my stuff at the hotel and went here. I'm sorry to just show up but…"

"Don't be sorry. Oh God. I can't believe you're here. Are you alright?" Summer closed the door and went to hug Marissa again, this time not as awkward. Marissa smiled for what seemed to be the first time in years.

"Honey, who's at the door?" Seth called and entered the room. "Marissa?"

Summer let go of the arrival and Seth went over to hug Marissa as well.

"Hi Seth, it's good to see you."

"You too. Where have you been?" Summer gave him a look and he quickly said: "Come and meet everybody. You're lucky; they're all here in the dining room. We're having dessert but I bet there's left over's from dinner. Sum?" Seth turned to his wife who stood watching Marissa, still shocked and surprised.

"Yeah, sure. You want some?"

"Yeah, the airplane food isn't exactly the best." She smiled gratefully.

"Then I'll get you some." Summer said as she went to the kitchen.

"So, you want to meet everyone?" Seth asked as they were left in the foyer.

"I guess. So everyone; who exactly are everyone?" Marissa sounded like the old one now as she started to fallow Seth towards the dining room.

"You know, mom, dad, the kids, Ryan, Paige; the usual."

"Ryan's here?" Marissa swallowed and suddenly looked very nervous.

"It's okay Marissa. We're all happy to see you." Seth smiled and led her into the dining room. A lot of loud voices and laughter met them; the Cohen's weren't exactly known for being quiet.

"Hey, look who I found." Seth said and pushed Marissa in front of him as they all got quiet, moving their eyes onto the guest.

"Hey everyone!" she awkwardly said and gave them afrightened smile.

"Marissa?" Kirsten said as the other ones kept being silent, not touching the cake.

"Yes. Marissa, you remember mom and dad, Ryan." Seth pointed at them. "Ryan's daughter Paige and mine and Summer's kids; Ava, Casey and Isabelle. Everyone; Marissa Cooper. That's still your name, right?"

"Yeah. So, uh, I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner but it's good to see you all again."

"No worries sweetie." Kirsten rose and being the nice woman she was she gave Marissa a hug and motioned for her to sit between her and Isabelle. They all sat around the table in silence, everybody watching Marissa but trying not to.

"Hey again!" Summer came into the room, unaware of the tense atmosphere. "Here Marissa." She placed a brick with the food in front of her friend and went straight to sit next to Seth and Casey. Seth grabbed for her hand under the table and when Summer felt his hand on her leg she took it into her own and squeezed it. She gave him a smile which he replied and they both turned their attention to the conversation; a very tense conversation.

"So, are you having a special celebration or is it just a family dinner?" Marissa asked curiously and realised that a family dinner didn't include her; this was totally awkward.

"Actually we've been at Casey's football game." Summer proudly said and took a peace of cake into her mouth.

"Oh, football? Do you enjoy it Casey?" Marissa wondered if this was Seth's son; football? But the curly hair assured her; he couldn't be anyone else's.

"Yes, I do. I love it and our team won." Casey said with a wide grin on his face.

"That's great. I would love to see you play some time."

"So, which hotel are you staying at?" Seth said and joined the conversation.

"The Mermaid." Marissa was clearly embarrassed; the Mermaid wasn't exactly on top of the list of the places to spend the night at, it wasn't even on the list. Summer and the rest of them just nodded, obviously surprised. What had happened to Marissa; she would never usually stay at the Mermaid. Though again; it had been a while.

"Why don't you stay with us, there's plenty of room." Summer suggested as she suspected that Marissa didn't want to stay at The Mermaid; she wouldn't.

"Here?"

"Yeah, we can get your stuff later." Summer smiled and after a moment of thought Marissa smiled back.

"Well, if that's okay with everyone. I mean, I don't want to intrude."

"You're not. Please stay!" Seth took a sip of the wine as Marissa looked over to the kids questionably.

"We're okay with it, really. Right?" Ava looked at her brother and sister.

"Sure." Casey nodded.

"Of course; maybe we can play. I can show you my room if you want to." Isabelle said with a grin. Marissa could see that she was very much like her parents. Last time she'd met her Isabelle had been very young but now she was almost seven. When Marissa left Isabelle had just got her teeth and now she was loosing them. She figured that she'd missed a lot.

"So it's settled then." Summer said and squeezed Seth's hand, which she hadn't let go of.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Later that evening when Ryan went outside to get some air he spotted Marissa sitting on a bench by the tree swing. It was dark outside but the backyard was illuminated by lamps and the pool shone in a blue colour. You could hear the waves from the ocean and the wind but otherwise it was completely quiet.

Ryan slowly made his way over to Marissa but she didn't seem to notice his presence.

"Hey." He softly said and she quickly wiped away what seemed to be tears and turned around, smiling. It was a fake smile, he could tell. Even though they hadn't seen each other for years he still knew her, or at least he could read her facial expressions.

"Hey." Ryan gave her one of his looks; one that asked if he could sit. She nodded and scoffed over a little as he sat down. It felt weird to have him sitting next to her, but good. It was easier to face him; easier than facing Summer. She had thought that it would be the other way round, but she felt so guilty in front of Summer; so ashamed.

"So, Page is really cute. She looks like you…a bit." she added. Page wasn't much like Ryan at all; she was very blond with green eyes and she was tall. Nothing about her seemed to be from Ryan, not the eyes, the nose, the body. Though she was as quiet as Ryan could be; sometimes she hardly said anything.

"Well, she's more alike Felicity actually, but I'm fine by it."

"You should be. So, you and Felicity?"

"We're divorced, two years almost exactly."

"Oh, I'm sorry. She seemed…nice."

"She is but it didn't work out you know."

"Yeah, so any new woman?"

"No, I'm happy with things as they are. I and Paige are great and I'm still friends with Felicity. And you know; I spend a lot of time around here."

"Good." Marissa said and then became quiet.

"So, what about you then? Where have you been?" Ryan asked and broke the awkwardly silence.

"Oh, you know, nowhere, everywhere." Marissa shrugged.

"But you decided to come home?"

"Yeah, it's weird though. I mean you've all changed and I don't know if I fit in any more. You're all so grown up and I still feel like twenty. I'm so confused."

"We're all confused sometimes and maybe you should stay here with your family and friends. We've all missed you."

"But I feel so guilty. I didn't call or keep in touch; last time I saw you everything was so different. I mean look at Ava; she's already a teenager. I should have visited."

"You're here now."

"But I was gone for, like, four years."

"That doesn't mean that you're not welcomed any more. We love you. You can be gone for twenty years and we'll still love you."

ooooooooooooooooooooo

"Knock, knock." Seth carefully opened the bathroom door and popped his head in.

"Hey!" Summer sat in the bathtub and turned her head towards the door as Seth slipped inside, gently closing the door after himself. Summer had lit a few candles and the whole room smelled vanilla.

The master bathroom was cream coloured and this week the towels were wine red along with the candles and other decorations. Summer enjoyed changing the colours regularly and since it was Christmas soon the red colour was just perfect.

"You want to join?"

"Sure." Seth undressed and put his clothes on a basket box. He made his way to the tub and jumped inside, placing himself behind Summer. His legs went to each side of her. He then took a sponge and filled it with water.

"What are you thinking about?" Seth gently asked as he squeezed the sponge so that the water ran down her back as he began to wash it. Summer looked very puzzled and seemed tense. Seth continued to massage her back and shoulders, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She had her long, dark hair in a careless knot and a few loops had fallen down over her shoulders.

"Marissa." Summer sighed and placed a hand on one of his knees, caressing it with her thumb. Seth didn't say anything, instead he kissed her shoulder, showing her that he was there, listening. She leaned backwards and rested her back against Seth's chest and at the same time his arms went round her.

"I just wonder what happened. She seems so different and The Mermaid? Marissa would never stay there, at least not the Marissa I used to know."

"I bet she'll tell you everything; I know she will Sum."

"Yeah. I'm happy that she's back you know. She will always be my best friend, no matter what." Summer hugged Seth's arms close to her chest and felt Seth lay his head down on her left shoulder.

"It will be alright baby."

To be continued...

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five 

"You want coffee honey?" Summer asked Seth the next morning as they were in the kitchen. They were all pretty much morning people and went up early; or if eight thirty on a Sunday could count as early.

Seth just gave her a smile and she held up a cop for him. He had that smile of admiration and love; he often had that smile these days. It was sort of their secret language; they didn't need to talk, they just knew what the other one was thinking. Summer placed the cup in front of him as he sat by the table with a paper in his hands. She then gave him a big kiss on his mouth which made his arms automatically go round her waist and he pulled her closer, forcing her to sit in his lap. Though Summer didn't seem to complain as she slightly moaned into his mouth; these kisses were worth doing anything for.

"Morning Mom! Morning Dad!" Ava said as she entered the kitchen; she was the only one who never made a comment about her parents obviously affection towards one other. She would let them kiss, make out, exchange their looks; she even had walked in on them having sex. Though that had been two years ago and they'd had a long, awkward talk after that.

"Morning sweetheart!" Seth said as they pulled away from their kiss, Summer stayed in his lap though.

"Morning Ava! If you want some eggs; I've made lots."

"Sure." Ava said and went to the stove where a plate full of eggs stood. She served herself and then went to the table where the rest of the breakfast was.

"I better go get the other two. They can't watch cartoons all day long." Summer got up from Seth's lap and went to the family room.

"So dad, Marissa's back." Ava said while eating like she hadn't ate for a week.

"Yeah, I hope you're okay with her staying here. I mean we don't really know her that well any more, but she's practically family."

"I'm cool by it dad; I know she's like mom's best friend and I like her." At that moment Summer came back into the room with Casey and Isabelle, still dressed in their pyjamas. But Summer, Seth and Ava were too though they had gowns over them. Who wanted to change right when they got up anyway?

Someone else seemed to agree too because Marissa just entered the kitchen; she also dressed in a gown. She gave them a smile and seemed to feel a lot better this morning.

"Morning Coop, you want some breakfast?" Summer said as she served her youngest some juice. She looked up at Marissa and she noticed that Summer was glowing; she really was happy. Like genuinely happy. Summer would never be the one to look old and now at 34 she was more beautiful than ever. You couldn't see any sign of her getting older except her maturity and her class. She still had the shiny hair; long enough to reach her lower ribs, her eyes were still sparkling and her skin was the same as it always had been; soft and clean. If Marissa was to guess her age she wouldn't say a day over thirty.

Marissa herself didn't look very old either, though older than Summer, but hadn't she always. Summer had always looked years younger than she really was while Marissa looked like a typical aged female. Marissa would have thought that she would become the family woman; the successful one. Summer had always said when she was younger that she never wanted to have kids but Marissa on the other hand wanted 2.5 kids and a dog. Though now things were different. One thing was for sure though; life had changed. People could be unpredictable and things you once wanted badly didn't turn out the way you thought.

"This looks great; I've always loved the breakfast in this house." Marissa smiled; she'd had several meals with the Cohen's and since Seth and Summer got in their twenties they both actually learned to cook.

"You can sit next to me Marissa." Isabelle pointed at the chair next to hers and Marissa sat down, giving the little girl a smile.

"You slept well?" Seth asked as they had all sat down and started to eat their breakfast. The question was obviously meant for Marissa though the answer came from another person.

"I slept alright dad though I think that your bed is much nicer than mine. I sleep better in yours and mommy's bed." Isabelle's words made them all smile though they were all careful not to show her.

"Belle, you're big enough to sleep in your own bed. Mommy and I like it to have a lot of space you know; you're getting too big for our bed. And your bed is very nice; I've tried it." Seth liked to have a child in his bed sometimes though Isabelle had been very hard to get to sleep in her own bed; she was one of those kids who easily got frightened.

"I know, though I wish I could sleep with you." She now talked to both of her parents, not only Seth.

"You shouldn't wanna do that Belle. I get teased about it in school." Casey said and reminded them all about how unfair the world was and how horrible people could be.

"But you don't sleep in their bed; you sleep in your own."

"Yeah, but that doesn't stop them. They always make up lies about me. I hate them." Casey now started to get a very sad voice and it actually looked like he was about to cry. Summer rose from her chair and went round the table. She sat down at his chair and pulled Casey in her lap as he immediately buried his head into her gown.

"Mom." He whispered and began to cry quietly. He let Summer pull him closer and knew that everyone by the table were watching. But he didn't care; at least they cared about him. At school when he cried no one cared but the teachers. It felt good to have people around who cared; he knew that they loved him. And there was no other place than in his mother's arms that made him feel safer. When she held him everything seemed to get better and she was the best comfort. He loved to feel her smell as she held him in a tight hug and to hear her whisper comforting words into his ear or just rock him.

Everyone round the table felt such an anger towards the ones who teased him. They were all used to Casey crying about it but for Marissa it was the first time and she felt like crying herself. Did the kids know how much they hurt this little boy? She couldn't even imagine how it would feel though she guessed that Seth could. She saw the sadness in his eyes as he was watching his wife comfort Casey. And Summer and herself had been those people; or something like it. She figured that Summer felt so bad when she got to see how horrible it really was. Why did people have to hurt each other?

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Dad, can you give me a ride to Emma's?" Ava asked as she came out to the backyard two hours later.

"Sure though we're going to the beach soon so do you think you could wait maybe thirty minutes or so? We could drop you off."

"Sounds good. Dad?" She quickly said before he went inside again.

"Yeah?"

"You know that you've always told me that you've loved mom since you were kids?" She had a pretty low voice like it was a hard question to ask. She knew that he would answer but she was still nervous. He just nodded and led her towards the chairs by the table. They sat down and he curiously looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I mean, did you just think she was pretty or did you really like her? You've said that first you loved her on a kid's way but then it grew to real love. How do you know if you love someone or if you just like them a lot? What's the difference?"

"Well, if you love a person you think about the person all the time." Seth paused for a second to think about how he should say this. "Let's say that it's a girl, like your mother to me. You worry about her, want to be with her all the time and would do anything to make her happy. When you've gotten to know her and still thinks that she's awesome and you like all the things about her you're in love. I don't really know how to answer your question fully. I think that when you love somebody you just know. I think you feel it in here." Seth placed his hand over his heart and smiled. Ava smiled too; she liked talking about love; though she wasn't sure that she would find her soul mate like her parents.

"Is there a guy Ava?" Seth asked carefully trying not to show his curiosity. Ava slightly blushed but nodded.

"Maybe, though I don't love him. I just wondered how you know and I like talking to you dad." She honestly said.

"I like talking to you too and you know what?"

"What?"

"I love you." Seth started to tickle her and she began to laugh hysterically; her laugh was much familiar with Summer's.

"Hey you two! Seth, are you trying to kill her?" Summer said as she walked up to them, but it was more of a joke than serious though now was the time for Seth to stop with the tickling; Ava was laughing so that she cried.

"My stomach dad; Mom, tell him to stop." She said out of breath.

"I'm stopping, okay?" Seth held his hands up in the air and laughed himself. Ava sat up, catching her breath. She held her stomach and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Sorry sweetheart. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine dad." Ava reassured him and stood up as Summer walked up to them.

"So, are you ready to hit the beach?"

"We're giving Ava a lift to Emma's. That's okay, right?"

"Of course. I called Ryan and he said that he's coming too with Paige. So, Ava, what are you and Emma going to do?" Summer put an arm round her daughter's shoulders and started to lead her inside. Seth fallowed shortly behind.

To be continued...

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

I'm quite pleased with this chapter; it was fun to write. Please let me know what you think.

Chapter six 

"I've really missed the beach." Marissa sighed as she lay in a sun chair with sun glasses, smiling towards the warm sun.

"Yeah, it sure is something. I could never do cold, or not for long at least." Summer replied as she lay next to Marissa. Isabelle and Paige had gone to the water a long time ago and Casey had found a friend from his football team. It was just the four of them; Seth, Summer, Ryan and Marissa.

It had been a while; they hadn't been together like this for years. And now it felt good, almost like high school. No worries; just the sun and good company.

"Yeah, Summer would never do winter." Seth said from under the umbrella, where he and Ryan sat, protecting themselves from the sun. Seth had gotten burned too many times; he figured that sunbathing wasn't his thing. Ryan was the same though Summer and Marissa were entirely different. They grew up by the pool, literally.

"Cohen, remember when we were in New York? I didn't even complain! I can totally take winter." She assured them very decisively.

"You so complained, like all the time we were outside. But Sum, you know that we all like you anyway. And you do have a reason not to like winter; you are Summer." They all laughed at Seth's rambling, he didn't make any sense.

"Okay Cohen, what do you say if we'll go buy some ice cream? It's getting kind of hot here." Summer rose from her chair and pulled a sarong round her lower waist. Seth just looked at her for a second but then rose. She took her purse and led him away with her hand in his.

"It's so weird that Summer and Seth actually are together after all these years. When they first started to date, I never thought it would last." Marissa said as she made her way to the blanket under the umbrella where Ryan sat.

"Me either. They are as different as two people can get. Have I told you about when Seth first told me about Summer?"

"Actually you haven't which is weird too since I used to know all about them back in high school. When was that?"

"It was the first morning after I got here. Seth showed me his boat; the Summer Breeze. He told me he was going to sail to Tahiti with this girl and I was like 'she must be really happy about it'. That's when he told me that she didn't know about him. I had thought that she was his girlfriend. I mean, who makes up this whole plan with a person he doesn't even know?"

"I know; Seth's always been a little weird." Marissa laughed. It felt surprisingly good to speak with Ryan; he was actually speaking. That had changed over the years.

"Never would I have thought that they would end up together. But they're right for each other and happy."

"Yeah, Summer with a guy like Seth. Who knew? Though they are pretty cute together." A silence fallowed; Seth and Summer had always been a thing they could talk about without any awkwardness.

"So…" Ryan said as the silence started to become really awkward.

"Seth and Summer should be back soon." Marissa quickly replied.

"Yeah."

They both tried their hardest to come up with something to say though before the silence got even more awkward, if that was possible, Isabelle and Paige came running towards them. They both had these really cute bikinis and they were soaking wet.

"Hey you two, up already?" Ryan asked clearly surprised that they'd come up from the water so soon; they usually stayed as long as they could. The smile he had on his face disappeared fast though, as soon as he saw that Isabelle was crying.

"Hey, Belle, what's wrong?" The little girl just stood there crying. Her long hair lay in wet stripes down her back and shoulders. She sniffled as Paige went closer to her father. Ryan got up and grabbed a towel which he wrapped around Isabelle.

"Where are mom and dad?" She was able to get out through her sobs as she coughed a little.

"They're…" Ryan started but was interrupted.

"Isabelle, sweetie." Summer and Seth were back. Seth dumped the ice cream to Marissa as they both went to their daughter. She immediately began to cry harder as she was wrapped into a hug by both of her parents. Seth sat down on the blanket and brought Isabelle to his lap. Summer sat next to them with her arm round the six year old.

"What happened?" She asked concerned, not just to Isabelle but to everyone.

"I don't know. She just came up here crying. Paige?" Ryan brought his girl to his lap; she looked a little upset as well.

"She got a mouthful of water I think." Paige carefully said as she sat in her father's lap.

"I got water in my nose and mouth. It felt scary." Isabelle had now stopped crying and was resting her head against Seth's chest as Summer played with her hair.

"It's okay now sweetie. You want some ice cream?" She turned towards Marissa who was holding the ice cream. She looked very out of place and the smile from before was now gone. Though she did gave Summer a tiny smile as she handed over the ice cream but Summer could see that it wasn't real.

"Thanks Coop." Marissa just nodded and turned her gaze out to the ocean. Was this really where she belonged?

oooooooooooooooooooo

"Marissa?" Summer called as she knocked on the door to the guestroom later that day. They'd all come home from the beach and her friend had been very quiet.

"Come in." Summer opened the door and went into the room. Marissa sat on the bed with a magazine in her hand but she put it down as Summer sat down in the armchair in front of her.

"So, how are you? Is the room okay?" They hadn't gotten a change to talk just the two of them; there were always someone else with them.

"Yes, it's great Sum. Thanks for letting me stay here." Marissa nervously fumbled with the end of her shirt. It felt weird to talk again; to the best friend you hadn't spoken to for four years, the friend you had abandoned.

"No problem. I'm just glad that you're back. I've missed you." She said a little unsure but continued. "You've been my best friend for my whole life and you still are. We definitely need to catch up; it's been too long." They shared a smile and Marissa finally looked up from the carpet. She was clearly touched by Summer's words. No one had ever been a greater friend and no one ever would be.

"I've missed you too." She whispered as tears filled her eyes. She'd always been a crier; it was her way to express her feelings and it made things better most of the time. At least when someone was there to comfort, but no one had for such a long time.

"Coop?" Marissa made an attempt to wipe the tears but it didn't work. She started to sob quietly. Summer got up from the armchair and went to sit next to Marissa on the bed. They were used to this; they'd done it too many times to forget how to; how to be there for each other.

So much had happened, so many things had changed. Though they were still Summer and Marissa. They were still best friends. Summer wrapped an arm round Marissa and she leaned in. They quickly flung their arms round each other and hugged tight; Marissa crying silently and Summer crying on the inside.

"Best friends forever, right?" Summer said after a while laughing a little. They pulled away and Marissa managed to smile back. It felt good to be able to smile again.

"Best friends forever." It was a thing they used to say at rough times. It meant that no matter what happened and no matter how bad things got they would still have each other.

Flashback

It was a normal Monday at school. Everyone was there, the kids had been dropped off by their parents and school was about to begin. To everyone this was a normal day; just like every other. It was the first day after Christmas break but still a usual Monday.

Though one girl, a very small girl, felt like nothing would ever be the same again. To her this wasn't a normal Monday. To her this Monday was far from normal. The little girl's name was Summer Roberts and she was six years old and very small for her age. Today she was afraid, sad and hurt.

Summer had a best friend. Her name was Marissa Cooper. Summer envied Marissa. She was everything Summer wasn't and had everything Summer didn't have. Marissa was tall, she had blue eyes and everyone thought she was older than she was and that for she was cool. Summer wasn't cool; she was small and shy.

Marissa had a mother and a father plus a baby sister. She even had a dog. Summer had a father. Last time she was at school she had had a mother too though Summer's mother didn't want her anymore. Summer's mother had left.

The little girl stood on the school yard, looking at all the kids running around. She saw some boys kick a football and some girls show each other their new dresses. Life seemed so easy for them all. No one had left them.

Suddenly Summer felt a tap on her shoulder and the tall girl showed up; her best friend. She had a new dress, a beautiful dress. Summer had too though now nothing seemed to matter; not even a new dress.

"Hi Summer!" Marissa took Summer's hand and led her to a bench where they sat down together. Summer hadn't met Marissa for the whole vacation; she hadn't met anyone.

"Are you sad?" The question was innocent and Marissa looked at her friend with those big blue eyes.

"Yes." The small girl shortly answered.

"Why?"

"I don't have a mother any more."

"Why not?"

"She left."

"What do you mean?"

"She left us, me and daddy."

"Mother's don't leave Summer."

"Mine did."

"Who took you to school then?"

"My daddy."

"But…Who's going to go shopping with you then? Daddy's don't shop dresses."

"I don't know."

"You can come with me and my mother; we'll help you shop."

"Thanks. Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure."

"I miss my mother; I cried."

"I won't tell anyone. Best friends forever, right?"

"Best friends forever."

End of flashback

Summer and Marissa had known each other for whole their lives. They'd been though everything together; they knew every part of each other. They'd had their birthday parties together, taken riding classes together, discovered boys together. All their lives they'd told each other everything.

Though now they barely knew each other, yet they did. They had a past, their whole childhood, their high school experience; even college. They had a rare friendship, one that would always be there. Even now, when years had passes without them talking to each other. Years where they had grown; changed.

"I'm sorry Summer." Marissa let the words come out in a whisper. She still had her head resting on Summer's shoulder though the tears had stopped falling.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I was your best friend and I just left you. I promised you that I would never leave after Seth and Ryan left that summer. Still I did."

"I'm sure you had a reason to. Though I kind of wonder why."

"I don't know Sum. Everything with Anton; I couldn't face everybody after that."

"But we didn't even know. I had to practically threat him to tell me what happened."

"I was so ashamed; I still am."

"Marissa, Anton was an ass. He didn't deserve you. Not after what he did. We would have understood."

"Maybe you would have though I still would have left Summer. I had to sort out my life; I had to do something that I couldn't do here."

"So, were you happy?"

"No, I feel like something's seriously wrong with me Sum. Nothing I do works anymore; I can't be happy."

"Sure you can sweetie. Maybe it just takes time. But please stay here and let us help you."

"I've missed you so much Summer." Marissa began to cry again and Summer really felt sympathy for her. She thought that Marissa had been happy out there and that was the reason she didn't come back. Though she hadn't been. Why did Marissa have such a hard time to find peace?

To be continued...

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven 

Marissa walked into the kitchen where Summer and Isabelle were arguing. They weren't angry with each other, just annoyed.

"But you have to mom. I can't wear my old one and I can't take dad; he doesn't know the difference of turquoise and blue." Isabelle whined as she sat on the counter near the sink. Summer stood by the stove with a tired look on her face.

"Belle, I'm sorry. I wish you would have told me earlier. I really have to work tomorrow. You know I wouldn't say no if I didn't have to."

"What's going on?" Marissa sat down by a bar chair and looked at the twosome.

"Mom has to work tomorrow and I have to get a new dress for a party." a sad Isabelle said and began to climb down from the counter.

"I'm really sorry honey." Marissa could hear that she was and she knew how important a new dress could be for a little girl.

"I'm free tomorrow if you need someone to shop with you. If that's okay."

"Really? Mommy, can she go with me?" A smile spread across Isabelle's face and she looked pleadingly at her mother.

"I don't know. Marissa, are you sure?"

"Of course I am. I love shopping and especially dresses. You know me Sum, I can shop. The question is; do you trust me?" Marissa gave her a smile and Summer returned it; she knew that if there was anyone she could trust when it came to shopping, it was Marissa Cooper.

"Well, in that case. I guess you can." Isabelle made a small shriek and hugged her mother round her waist.

"Thank you mommy. I really have to buy a new dress."

"I know honey and I expect you modelling when I get home from work, okay?" Isabelle smiled and then let go of Summer, turning her attention to Marissa.

"So, are you good in shopping, _Coop_?" The two adult looked at each other and smiled. Summer knew that she could let Marissa take her child over an afternoon; she trusted her. And she couldn't let her daughter down.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

After the dinner everyone was doing their own thing. Marissa was visiting her family; she hadn't seen them for years. She would have met them the next day but she felt like she couldn't wait so she left just after dinner. Ava was in her room on the phone, talking to some friend, maybe talking about ideas for a new project or concert. Or maybe they just talked about boys and clothes.

Casey was in the family room with Isabelle; they were watching a film. They spent much of their time together; they just got along very well.

Seth and Summer sat in the living room on the couch. They sat close to each other, their fingers intertwined. Summer had her head resting on Seth's shoulder, close to his neck. It was dark outside and all the lamps weren't on, only a few so that the room had a cosy, relaxed light.

"What do you want for Chrismukkah Cohen?" Summer quietly asked as they just sat there, enjoying some time together alone. Seth drew circles on top of her shoulder as he tried to think.

"I don't think I want anything, not anything I haven't already got." Summer smiled to herself and cuddled closer to his chest.

"But there has to be something you want; something I can get you." Her question wasn't meant to be seducing though it came out that way.

"I can think of one thing though I don't want to wait until Christmas for it." Summer giggled as he pulled his hand under her shirt, caressing her stomach. Her tanned, smooth skin felt warm under his fingers and the giggles she made was like a song to his ears.

"Well, I can't let you wait then baby, can I?" Seth shook his head and continued to caress her stomach but now his hands wandered further up. Summer moaned but as she remembered the kids in the family room she pushed Seth's hands away.

"Nooo." He wined and looked at her disappointedly as she sat up straight.

"We can't Cohen; we'll put the kids to bed first." As she said the word 'first' he lit up again and almost flew of the sofa, dragging her with him. They went inside the family room where they found Casey watching a movie and Isabelle sleeping on the couch.

"She said she wasn't tired." Summer sighed. "Seth, can you take her?"

"Sure, my queen." He gave her nose a kiss and then went to lift Isabelle up and carry her upstairs to her room.

"Casey, it's time for bed. School's tomorrow." Summer made sure he'd turn the TV off and take all his stuff with him; she was very neat. They then began to walk up the stairs.

"Mom, why do I have to go to bed now; it's only seven thirty." Casey said as they entered his room.

"Well, it's been a long weekend and your father and I are tired. But you can be up for a little more if you stay in you room and do something calm, like reading."

"Really? I do have a new comic book; I'll just read it." He was so much like Seth, with his cute curly hair and interest in comic. He got the same enthusiastic facial expression as Seth always had whenever he was excited.

"You do that though get ready for bed first and promise me not to stay up too long." Summer gave her son a kiss on his cheek and closed the door.

Meanwhile, Seth was getting Isabelle ready for bed. He'd gotten her dressed in her night gown and put her into her bed when Summer came into the room, smiling.

"How's it going?" she asked and walked up behind him as he tucked Isabelle in. Summer wrapped her arms round his waist from behind and gave his back a kiss.

"She's sleeping and Casey?" Seth kept his position turned to the bed, enjoying how Summer kept hugging him and digging her face into his shirt.

"He's getting ready. He thought it was early so I told him he could stay up and read a comic." She still had her head pushed against his back though he heard what she said.

"What about I'll go check on him and you go to Ava? Then we'll meet up in our room."

"Okay." She finally pulled away and he turned around, giving her a light kiss before they went to their children.

"Ava, we're going to bed. You're still on the phone?" Summer gently knocked on Ava's door, not wanting to interrupt her phone conversation.

"Yeah, but come in. It's just Emma." Ava yelled from inside so Summer opened the door and found Ava sitting on her bed. She had her pyjamas on already and her hair was in a pony tail.

"Hold on a second Em, mom's wants to say goodnight…I'll tell her." Ava put the phone down and turned to her mother, smiling.

"Em says hi to you."

"Say hi to her back from me. I'll be quick; we're just going to bed and I wanted to say goodnight to you." Ava smiled and reached over to hug Summer; they always hugged or kissed goodnight.

"Love you mom."

"I love you too. Sweet dreams honey!" Summer gave her a kiss on her cheek before she pulled away and climbed off the bed. She waved and then left the room, walking towards her own bedroom looking forward to the night.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Summer stood observing the room as she waited for her husband to come back from the kids' rooms. She absolutely adored it. She'd decorated it herself and everything about it was perfect. It had a special atmosphere and it felt like an own part of the house. Though it was big too; the master suit. A huge walk in wardrobe, a bathroom and an amazing balcony with a fantastic view.

Suddenly she felt two strong arms go round her as she stood in the middle of the bedroom. She automatically smiled and turned around meeting Seth's gaze. His beautiful brown eyes were completely focused on her like she was the only thing in the whole world. Everything about him was beautiful; his tall, slim body with perfect sized muscles. And of course the dimples and curly brown hair. No one except a Cohen could look good in curls; they were always too frizzy but these were perfectly curled.

"You're beautiful." She said out load, a little surprising. That was usually something he used to tell her all the time. He'd tell her in the morning as she woke up and in the evening as they went to bed. This though was different; she'd said it to him.

"Are you talking to yourself again? That's usually what I do." They were still standing with their arms round each other in the middle of the room, looking at each other.

"I'm not talking to myself. That _is_your thing. I talked to you actually." She made a point at him and she could tell that he was a little unsure how to react.

"No, no, no. You are beautiful, not me."

"Yes you are. Very beautiful." Seth just looked at her.

"You are! What's so strange about that?"

"I don't know. You've never told me that before; no one has. I just…girls are beautiful and pretty, boys are handsome."

"Guys can be beautiful too though maybe that's not what many people say. Don't you want me to call you beautiful? Because you are." She looked at him anxiously.

"You can call me whatever you want, sweetie."

"Good, and just so you know; I would call you it anyway." Summer said as she smiled.

"Oh, I know. So what do you wanna do now?" He gave her a seducing look.

"Maybe..." she started and traded lines on his shirt with her fore finger. "Maybe I can show you how beautiful I think you are."

"Well, if you insist." Seth didn't wait for a response; he quickly let their lips unite. As so many other times, it felt like they were the only persons in the whole world and that nothing could tear them apart.

To be continued...

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

Seth slowly opened his eyes, feeling very much awake and rested. He checked the alarm on Summer's bedside table and saw to his surprise that it was five thirty. Seth Cohen was awake at five thirty _and_before his wife. That was a first.

Summer slept heavily next to him. She had her head close to his arm and had probably fallen of his shoulder during the night. They were both still naked and the sheets only covered their legs. He could feel her breathing against his upper arm and the parts of their body's that were touching felt warmer than the other parts. He shifted a little and lay on his side, holding his head up with an arm.

Summer lay on her stomach and had a pretty funny position actually. Her hair lay all over her face and her arms were tightly pressed against her body. Seth stroked some hair away so that he could se her face and then began to caress her bare back. She stirred a little and as Seth took his hands away she moved to lie on her back. Her perfect breasts were exposed along with her flat stomach. Summer's body was beautiful; no sign of age and she didn't have marks from her pregnancies.

Seth continued to caress her and just admiring her beauty. He had no idea for how long he'd been watching her as the alarm went on. Summer began to wake up but before she opened her eyes Seth turned the alarm off; he hated that sound. For Chrismukkah he would buy a new one.

"Monday…" Summer mumbled as she still hadn't opened her eyes. She stretched and rubbed her eyes before she finally sat up, her eyes open. She yawned and looked around, probably expecting Seth to be asleep. Though as she turned her gaze to his side of the bed and saw him looking back at her, she smiled.

"You're awake."

"Yes, I'm actually awake before you. Good morning by the way; you are beautiful." She noticed him staring at her and blushed. Not because she was embarrassed but because she wasn't.

"Good morning." Summer bent down and gave him a kiss which he deepened. "Exactly how long have you been awake?" she pulled away and sat up, pulling her legs in front of her so that her toes were touching Seth's ankles.

"Five thirty, not that long."

"What have you been doing since five thirty? Staring at my boobs?" she said and crossed her arms over her chest; she hadn't bothered to cover it.

"Well, yeah, along with the rest of you. Is that forbidden? I mean I couldn't really help but look at you, _my gorgeous wife_." He gave her a smile and sat up as well. Summer just shook her head and started to get up.

"I'm gonna take a shower. Can you get the kids up and start with the breakfast?"

"Can't I come?" Seth said and gave her a pleading look.

"Nope." She just said and giggled leaving the bed, naked on purpose.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Seth went down the hallway to wake the kids. He first went to Ava; her room was in the end of the hallway and he knew she wanted to wake up early. He knocked at her door and went inside without waiting for an answer. That he shouldn't have done.

"Dad!" Ava quickly grabbed a pillow to cover her naked chest though too late; Seth had already seen. "Learn to knock!" She was just in her panties and had the pillow in front of her.

"I'm so sorry Ava. I'll leave, since you're already awake. Sorry." Seth walked out of her room, quickly closing the door. This was embarrassing. He'd just seen his teenaged daughter naked, or almost anyway. Which was the same, and as embarrassing.

"This is so typical me; I should learn to knock." He said to himself.

"What have you done now daddy?" Casey appeared, still dressed in his pyjamas and his hair a mess.

"Uh…nothing. I was just on my way to wake you but I see you're already up. And I who thought that your mother had a hard job in the mornings."

"You know dad, mom usually wakes us up but since you made us go to bed at seven yesterday we woke up early."

"Yeah, which is good. Maybe you should start going to sleep at that hour."

"No! We're not hard to get up in the morning; I promise. At least I'm not."

"Just kidding Case, but you better keep on being a good boy."

"I will."

"So start with getting dressed. And comb your hair. I'm gonna go help your sister."

"Ava?"

"No! Belle. See you downstairs for breakfast." He said and went to wake Isabelle up; if she weren't awake she too.

"Isabelle?" Seth walked into the little girl's room. Toys were all over the room though it was very neat. Summer was very determined to teach them all to be tidy and take care of their things. Isabelle had more things than any other child it seemed; you could think she was an only child.

Seth walked closer to her bed; it was pretty big for a small girl but she wanted a very comfortable bed. They'd been looking for beds for days until she found one she wanted. It was very expensive but at least she slept in it; usually. Her room wasn't all pink as Ava's room had been when she was younger. Isabelle's room was yellow but in a very light shade.

"Kiddo, time to wake up." He sat down on the bed and gently touched her cheek, waking her up. She began to move and quickly opened her eyes.

"Morning daddy!" she sat up and gave his cheek a kiss. She wasn't tired at all.

"Morning Belle!"

"Which clothes shall I wear?" she asked and went for her closet. She had a lot of clothes too; too much. But they all had; Summer loved to shop and not only for herself. She loved to drag them all around the mall for hours.

"Well, why don't you pick something and I'll see if it's okay?" Seth stood up and fallowed her to the wardrobe. She pointed at a green skirt and he handed it to her. It was an excellent choice for the day. It was dark green and a little Christmas-y.

"Which shirt do you want then?"

"That one." Isabelle this time pointed at a black top.

"Well, you can wear that if you have something over; you'll get a cold if you don't."

"But daddy, it's California; it's not cold, at least not inside."

"Remember that you easily get a cold and it's a lot colder outside today than it was yesterday. And, you were swimming yesterday so you have to be warm today sweetie. What about this one?" he held a green jacket up; it had bottoms but was otherwise quite simple.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Down in the kitchen Marissa was making breakfast, or she tried to anyway. She'd never been a good cook and as she'd been living on her own the past years she'd not developed her qualities since she'd mostly lived at hotels and eaten out. Or if she did eat in she'd do something easy like macaroon and cheese.

"Morning Marissa!" Ava walked inside the kitchen and understood by the smell that Marissa had a tiny problem. She checked the stove and saw the pancakes getting burned.

"Well, the coffee seems okay and the bagels." She said and tried to be positive; she knew what it could be like to feel like you weren't good at anything. She figured that she could help Marissa, the family needed breakfast.

"I was just making the table. Sorry if I ruined the breakfast; I just wanted to help."

"It's okay; we'll just make something else. We've got lots of food." The girls started to clean up and save what were left of the pancakes.

"Look, Seth's coming down. At least the kitchen's not a mess any more." Marissa said and laughed. She was trying to make some juice but she'd probably forget to count the things she had in it; she really was a bad cook.

"I…I have to go outside." Ava hurried out of the kitchen and left a puzzled Marissa with the unfinished breakfast. Why such a hurry? She thought.

"Good morning Marissa!" Seth seemed to be in an excellent mood as he walked into the room with the morning paper in his hand. He was dressed in what looked like working clothes; shirt and black trousers; even a tie. He looked very respectable and successful.

"Morning Seth! You look handsome, still working at the Newport Group?" Marissa didn't really have a clue about anything anymore; she'd been gone too long and even when she was with Anton she'd been too busy to keep up with everyone back home. She didn't want to be that person; the one to ditch her friends for a new man or a new career.

"Yeah, still the same thing; Ryan too. And Summer's still doing her thing and speaking of Summer, she's in a fashion show or something soon. I don't really know the name of it; I'm not that interested." Seth still rambled most of the time, like he always had. Marissa had always thought that he'd been weird; he'd been the weird neighbour no one knew the name of.

"Summer's doing a fashion show!" Marissa cried, immediately giving up the juice.

"Yeah, well, not Summer; her dresses. It should be really good. But you should probably talk to her about it; I don't really know that much about it just thought you'd want to know. You're still into fashion right?"

"Sure I am. That's why I'm gonna help your daughter to shop today."

"You're shopping with Ava? That's great."

"Not Ava; Isabelle. She needed a new dress and Summer couldn't take her so I will. If you're okay with it of course." Marissa suddenly got insecure; did they trust her?

"Sure, I'm just glad I won't have to. I hate shopping."

"You do? Does Summer still buy your clothes?"

"Yes, but that's because I'm not allowed to buy them myself. I have to wear special clothes. Believe me; being married to Summer isn't easy."

"Oh, I believe you but don't tell Summer that."

"Tell me what?" Summer walked into the kitchen and gave both of them questionably looks. "Cohen?"

"Why do you always assume that it's something I did? I'm totally innocent." Summer gave him a look and he knew that she had the control; she always had.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Seth replied stubbornly.

"I still don't believe you but never mind. How's it going with the breakfast?" She looked around and saw the food all over the kitchen, everything half finished.

"I'm not finished. Actually it's not going so well. Ava was going to help me. I just wanted to do something nice but apparently it didn't work." Marissa had an apologetic look on her face and felt a little ashamed; everything she did always ended up in a disaster.

"It's okay Coop, we'll just finish this up. I appreciate you trying but let's see what's obvious; you're not much of a chef really. You never were." Summer smiled as she tasted a pancake but immediately spit it out. Marissa and Seth started to laugh as Summer filled her mouth with water to take the taste away.

"What did you do?"

"I don't know, I just did a pancake." Marissa giggled; she knew that she wasn't good with the stove.

"So where did Ava go? Wasn't she supposed to help you?"

"She did, or started but she went outside I think just before you came in here Seth." Seth took his head down to his hands and sighed; he'd really embarrassed her. He never meant to open her door; he usually waited for an answer, usually.

"What? Is something wrong?" Summer asked worriedly as she noticed Seth's behaviour. "Cohen?"

"I kind of did something this morning, something I shouldn't have." He carefully started.

"Go on." Summer motioned for him to keep talking.

"I went to wake her up as you told me, and then I went into her room and she was…"

"Was what, Seth?"

"She was…um…kind of…"

"Oh come on; just say it. She was?"

"…naked."

Slap

"You went into her room without knocking? That is so typical you Cohen. And she was naked? I can't even imagine how embarrassed she must feel. Cohen!" she slapped him again.

"Ouch! Don't do that. I didn't mean to walk into her room like that. I thought she was sleeping. Do you really think I did it on purpose?" Seth argued; she must understand that he never meant to see their teenaged daughter naked.

"You guys, I'm just gonna leave. I'll see what the other kids are up to. You work this out." Marissa excused herself and left Seth and Summer glaring at each other. She could ask Summer about the fashion show later.

"Why can't you learn to knock?"

"I did knock…just didn't wait for a response." He quietly added the last part and looked down. Summer softened a bit; he was so Cohen-y. "I didn't mean to and it was really awkward and I want to have it undone but it just…happened. I'm sorry."

"Cohen…"Summer sighed and he looked up at her. "I know you didn't do it on purpose. If you did I would send you away and never let you see the kids again. But you need to talk to her about it; you can't ignore each other."

"I know and I will. Will you take care of the breakfast while I talk to her? Or try to talk to her." Seth sounded kind of sad and almost as if he was afraid to talk to Ava about it; he felt bad about what had happened.

"Sure." Summer touched his arm gently and he went out of the room to search for his daughter who probably was hiding somewhere, but Seth figured where she was.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ava had always liked a special place in their garden. It was much protected from sight and was hard to find but once you got there you could stay there forever. It was in the bounding of their garden, behind a few bushes. No one had planned for that place to be something special; no one had even thought about it. No one but Ava; she'd found that place when she was a kid and every time she wanted to get away; that was where she went. It was surrounded by flowers and had a view of the ocean. They had a piece of furniture with a fantastic view but this was something special. It was an own place.

Seth saw Ava sitting behind the jasmine bush; she had her knees tightly pressed to her stomach; looking out at the ocean. The sun rays couldn't find their way into her nest though light slipped through the bushes so the place was warm. He sat down next to her, fallowing her gaze. It fell on a cloud near the sun.

"It looks just like a bird." She said and broke the silence. Seth hadn't expected her to be the one to speak first but he was glad she did.

"Yeah, the wings and even the beak too." Seth pointed at the parts he recognised and Ava smiled; this was very nice. She knew that her father hadn't walked in on her on purpose and she knew that he probably felt as bad as she did, if not worse. It was embarrassing but it was already done and so what? He'd seen her naked before. But that had been when she was younger. It mattered that he'd seen her, it did. But she wasn't going to ignore him for it.

"Daddy…" she placed her head on top of his shoulder but kept her eyes on the cloud. She took a deep breath and felt her father place his arm round her and stroke her arm.

"I'm so sorry for earlier, honey." He knew that she didn't want an explanation but he hoped that she knew how sorry he was. He knew that women were complicated, they were sensitive. He tried his hardest to please the women he knew but sometimes it jut went wrong. But that was to be expected, right? He was Seth Cohen; the master of making mistakes.

"I know." She just replied and they kept their positions for a while, knowing it was going to be weird for a while but also that they would put this behind them.

"You want some breakfast?" Seth finally said after a few minutes.

"Only it it's not Marissa's. She's no good cook dad; never let her try that area again." They both laughed and raised, Seth helping Ava by offering her his hand.

"I think your mom took over; she's a great chef, isn't she?" They made their way out of the bushes and went through the garden in to the kitchen where they found the whole family, including Marissa.

"So, I see breakfast is served. Is there any coffee?" Seth asked as he sat down in an empty chair while Ava did the same. Summer quickly stood up and served them a little of everything. Marissa watched them all.

Isabelle sat slurping her cereal and milk and almost dipped her long, wavy hair in it. Casey ate the corners of his sandwich and tried not to touch the vegetable Summer had put on it. Ava, who had just started to eat, drank her juice very careful not to make her glass dirty. She had everything around her very neat, touching every piece just to make sure they were in its right place. She didn't have to worry about it too much since everything on the table was as neat as it could.

Seth sipped his coffee which Summer just had given him. He looked quite pleased with everything and took a bagel. And then it was Summer; she actually looked straight back at Marissa with a huge smile on her face. Marissa smiled back; for once she felt welcomed, like really welcomed. She knew that Summer would always be there for her. This Cohen family was just like the Cohen family used to be when they were young. Then there were Sandy, Kirsten, Seth and Ryan; always welcoming new people into their warm home.

To be continued...

A long chapter, hope you liked.Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Mrs Cohen and Kursk; thank you for reviewing.

Chapter nine 

"Yeah, I like the long cloth on the back. But no broodier; it would too much for this dress." Summer examined a sketch of a dress that would be in the fashion show. It was one of the few that she didn't make herself. As her company had developed she could no longer do everything herself; the time was just not enough. Summer loved her job; everything about it was perfect to her. She could be professional, meet great people and be creative. It was flexible and well paid.

"Summer, what about the model's? Is it okay to have it next week?" Summer's secretary Olivia asked; she'd been in the business since day one along with Summer and Derek.

"Sure, just make it a presentable time, Liv." Summer went to her desk and sat down, feeling her stomach urge for something to eat.

"I think I'll take lunch now, a long one. I thought of going to Seth's if he's available. Can you take my calls?" Olivia, with a bunch of papers in her hands and a neat costume nodded.

"Sure Summer, I'll just leave this on your desk or ask Donna to check on them. Have a great lunch!"

"You be sure to eat something yourself sweetie; you've worked hard the last month. I want you to do something relaxing. And you have to come to the party on Friday; we're having a welcome home party for Marissa or something like that and I know she's dying to see you Liv." A huge smile spread on the tall blondes face; Summer was a great friend. Olivia had had some troubles in life and had a disease which made it hard for her to do all jobs but no matter how good the company went Summer kept Olivia. She was capable to do her work, to be a secretary and because she loved fashion this was fun for her too. Summer had even let her help her make dresses a couple of times.

"Thank you, I'd love to come. What time?"

"Seven, be there. I'm gonna go now, why don't you ask Richard to join you on Friday? I want to meet him." Olivia wasn't retarded or anything, she was normal in every state but her ability to do complicated things. And Richard was her new love, or Summer didn't really know but she guessed he was. Olivia was very sneaky in that area but she'd let a few things slip and Summer could only put one and two together.

"I'll ask him." Olivia said with a smile and they both went out of Summer's office, heading out for lunch.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Guess who?" A voice said as Seth felt two small hands cover his eyes from behind. He could feel that perfume, and smell that known shampoo.

"I know it's you baby." He said and Summer took her hands away from his face.

"How'd you know?" she said trying to sound disappointed as she sat down in his lap, taking her legs up. She sat in his lap like a little child, resting her head beneath his chin.

"You're so cute Summer." Seth kissed her hair and felt her snuggle closer to his chest.

"I know." She said and smiled at his words. He always made her feel good and very youthful. No one else in the world could take her mind of work and hard thing like he always could.

"So, Summer, not because I don't like the surprise because I love it, but why are you here?"

"No reason; I just missed you and kept thinking of last night." She paused. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you this morning." Seth knew this was coming. Even though Summer could be very stubborn she quickly felt bad if she hurt someone she didn't want to hurt or someone who didn't deserve it; she felt bad every time she did something wrong and didn't apologize.

"Don't worry about it baby." He said and kissed her forehead and caressed her cheek.

"Cohen, I'm sorry; and it does matter. I knew you wouldn't do something like that by meaning I just…" she rapidly stopped.

"You just what, Sum?"

"Nothing." She shortly replied but knew he could see through her.

"Sum…" he waited for her to continue and finally she did.

"Ava's been a little unstable lately just, and she's yelled at me several times. I guess she's just a little oversensitive. Maybe it's because she got…you know." Seth knew what she meant; her period. And he agreed with Summer; Ava had been different the past weeks. Her mood was constantly changing.

"I know what you mean but I didn't know she yelled at you. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think it was important and I guess I didn't want to think about it. She's just different now; she doesn't talk to me like she used to."

"Maybe she's just growing up. You don't think it's anything serious do you?" he said with worry. Seth felt his legs begin to numb so he carefully moved Summer into another position; she was now only sitting on his lap with her legs dangling down the side of him.

"I hope not. We'll just have to wait and see what happens and if doesn't change or gets worse we have to think of something to do to help her." The discussion was quite depressing and made them both think about unhappy teenagers who got sick and unhappier. Then they shot everything out and killed themselves. The thought made Summer shivered and cuddle closer to Seth; she would do anything in her power to help Ava and never let her be depressed. Teenaged depression was just depressing to even think about. How many suicides were there in a year? And how many of them were young people?

"You hungry?" Seth suddenly asked and fumbled with her ear. She nodded against his chest and then got up, taking his hand in hers. Seth placed his arm round her and they went out of his office stopping by the reception to tell that he went out.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So, what do you think about this one? It's cute, isn't it?" Marissa held up a fancy dress for Isabelle to see. She had never thought that a six year old could be so good at shopping. Because Isabelle was good; a little too good. She'd tried on what seemed like million of dresses but still found something wrong with each and every one of them. Either they were too blue, too long, too silky or something else none perfect.

"No, I want another shape of colour. Maybe this one; what do you think? Should I try it on?" The little girl examined every detail of the dress, looking for something. The dress was probably not the one she wanted either.

"I think you should try this one Isabelle. It's so perfect; you would look so cute in it." Marissa showed the small brunette a beautiful dress. There were no unnecessary details such as flowers or embroidered parts; nothing that you could possible be disliked. It was simple yet it looked very elegant and it was just perfect.

"I love that dress; it's perfect. Mom's gonna love it." Isabelle said with enthusiasm as she touched the cloth.

"So, you wanna try it on?" Marissa suggested. Isabelle nodded and they both headed for the changing rooms.

On the way home, after had bought the dress and a few more things, both Marissa and Isabelle were pleased. Isabelle sat in the backseat and hummedto a song as Marissa drove.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" a voice said from the backseat. Marissa was taken back; she wasn't used to these honest questions, but yet again; she'd been gone for a long time and children was one thing that she'd been without the last couples of years.

"Uh, no I don't." she answered politely, hoping that the conversation would end by that. She was wrong though.

"How come? You're mommy's best friend right? And mommy's been married with daddy for fifteen years a month after my birthday." It was true; Summer and Seth had been together as a married couple for fifteen years soon. They were one of those couples that would stick together forever.

"Yeah, I know. But not all people find a person like your mom and dad. Sometimes things just don't work out." Marissa sadly said, trying to explain it to the six year old.

"But haven't you been in love?"

"Yes, but not the right person I guess. Hey, what do you think your mom will think of the dress? Do you think we'll pass?" Marissa quickly said, changing the subject.

"Absolutely, it's gorgeous. Thanks for helping me picking it out. Mom was right, you're a great shopper. But why didn't you buy something for yourself?"

"I can't afford to buy things all the time like I used to. But believe me, if I could I would." Marissa fumbled with her necklace; it was an expensive one, one she'd gotten when she used to live in Newport. All her fancy things were from Newport. Marissa thought back on the days where she could buy whatever she wanted, whatever she felt like having. Her parents had never said no to her; money had never been an issue. But even then, the world seemed to be against her.

Her dad lost his job, Luke cheating on her, her mother sleeping with her ex boyfriend, her mother marrying Caleb, her father moving, her sister moving, Oliver, the overdose, Trey and the shooting…

A scream from the backseat interrupted Marissa's thoughts. Screams from a little girl echoed in Marissa's head until the world became black.

To be continued...

...if you review.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for the reviews!

Chapter ten 

The phone was ringing in the Cohen house. Ava ran towards the kitchen phone and answered it; she was alone at home. Seth and Summer were working and Casey was at practise; a friend's mother had taken him. And Marissa and Isabelle were still shopping, Ava assumed.

"Hello," she said politely and drew lines with her forefinger on the fruit basket, which stood on the counter. "No, they're not at home. Can I take a message?" she picked up a red apple that looked nice, preparing to eat it. "What! The hospital?" Ava shrieked, dropping the apple so that it splashed on the floor, rolling away from where she stood. "Yeah, are they okay?" she carefully asked, frightened. "What do you mean you can't answer that? My sister is in the hospital; don't I have the right to know if she's okay?" Ava started to panic, she didn't want this to happen; she had no idea what to do, how to react. She wished that her parents were there.

"Okay," she said in a softer voice. "I will. Bye." As fast as she could, she dialled her father's number t work. She figured that it was best to call him first, since her mother would freak out.

"Dad,"

"Hey honey, what's up?"

"I got a call from the hospital,…and…Isabelle and Marissa are in the ER." By those words Ava started to cry hysterically. She really wished that someone was with her.

"Oh God, sweetie, are you alone at home?"

"Yes." Ava said as she sobbed, not caring about the tense feeling between the two of them. Right now she felt like the smallest girl and she just wanted to be in her daddy's arms.

"I'm coming to get you, okay? Ava, have you called anyone else? Your mother?"

"No, I called you first."

"Well, do you know if they're okay? Or what happened?"

"No, but it was a car accident. Please come here fast daddy. I'm scared." She sounded so young as she said daddy; she always said dad.

"I'm coming honey, don't worry; I'll be there soon. But I have to hang up so I can go to the car. Okay?" Ava nodded but when she realised that he couldn't see her she told him yes and they hung up.

As soon as Ava put the phone down she ran up to her parents' bedroom and lay down in their bed, underneath the covers. She could feel the warm feeling that she used to have when she was a little girl; the same age that Isabelle was. She began to cry again, whishing she was six year old again and being too young to understand what was happening and being allowed to be scared and cry.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Seth immediately called Summer as he hurried his way to his car, skipping his head into Ryan's office to tell him what was going on. Ryan, of course, went up and asked if he should pick Ava up. Though Seth told him not to; he told him to go to the hospital instead and call their parents and pick up Casey. And he did, so now Seth was walking with fast steps towards his car, holding his cell to his ear waiting for Summer to pick up.

"Hey Cohen!" Summer said in a happy voice as she finally picked up. She seemed to be in a good mood and Seth hated the fact that he had to change it. But this was about their little girl.

"Summer, I have bad news; really bad news." This was hard; telling his wife that while Isabelle had been in the car with Marissa there had been an accident.

"What's happened? Nothing serious I hope. Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm okay though Isabelle's not. She's in the ER with Marissa. Apparently there was an accident, a car accident." Seth said while inside his car, beginning to drive to their home to pick up Ava.

"Are you kidding me?"

"I'm afraid I'm not, baby."

"But,…she…she'll be okay, right?" Summer said and Seth sensed that she was close to a breakdown.

"She's a strong girl, isn't she? We'll go to the hospital and we see how she is doing."

"Oh my God, I have to get there. I'll see you there."

"Summer?" Seth called but she'd already hung up. He could only hope that she went to the right hospital, but she probably would.

As Seth put his phone down it started to ring again. He sighed and hoped that by some miracle this would be good news.

"Hello,"

"Seth Cohen?"

"Yes, can I help you?"

"I'm calling from the hospital. I'm afraid I've got some bad news. We called your home but I guess it was your daughter who answered the phone."

"I know, she called me a few minutes ago."

"Well, then you also know about Isabelle Cohen and Marissa Cooper."

"Yes, I know that they are in the ER. Are they okay?"

"I don't want to tell you about their conditions before you get here though they are both alive."

"Well, that's really saying a lot."

"I'm sorry Mr. Cohen. I'm not allowed to tell you more. But I'm guessing that you're on your way here."

"I'm just picking up my daughter, the one who answered the phone. She's pretty upset."

"I'm sorry about that. Just come here as soon as possible."

"I will."

"Good. I'm really sorry Mr. Cohen."

"Thanks."

Seth put his phone down for the third time, the day only getting worse. Though he had to stay strong for Summer and the rest of them. And Isabelle could be just fine. They didn't know that she was seriously injured. She was just in the ER and you could go to the ER for anything.

Lucky as Seth was today, or not, the traffic home wasn't hectic at all so he got home really fast, rushing inside to get Ava. Though he couldn't find her. This was so not what he needed.

"Ava! Sweetie, we have to go. Ava!" She wasn't in the kitchen and not in the living room, not the family room. God, they so needed to go.

"Ava!" Seth figured that she might be in her room so he went upstairs to check. Upstairs everything was quiet and in its order. He called her name once again but no answer. Maybe she wasn't at home. Though Ava would never leave home without locking the front door. Seth just hoped that she was okay; she'd been very upset over the phone and one daughter in the hospital was more than enough.

"Ava! Damn it, Ava, we have to go to the hospital. Ava!" He was starting to loose his temper. This wasn't funny. He walked through the corridor and glanced into his bedroom and seeing that the bed wasn't made. Weird, he thought since he's made the bed before he went to work that morning.

"Honey?" Seth went inside and sawthat something was underneath the covers. He lifted the cover off and Ava was revealed, sleeping. She hugged a pillow close to her chest and lay like a ball. Her face was swollen from crying and some hair was smeared in her facealong the tears. Seth gently tuckedthe hairaway and bent down to give her forehead a kiss.

"Ava," he whispered softly into her ear as he stroked her back. She stirred and opened her eyes, looking around and catching Seth's eyes.

"Dad, hey. I'm sorry; I must have fallen asleep." She rubbed her eyes quickly and then her facial expression quickly changed. She placed her hands over her mouth, obviously remembering what had happened.

"I haven't slept for long, have I? You're not gonna tell me that she's dead, right?" she asked, afraid, the tears returning though not falling.

"No, no, no, Ava. I haven't been to the hospital yet. But we better go there." He rose and brought Ava up with him. "You ready?" She nodded and they went to the car, driving to the hospital hoping they weren't too late.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Summer entered the hospital gates, a whole hour after ending Seth's phone call. Her work was a long way from the hospital and the traffic had been a nightmare. Next time she chose a work or a house she would definitely have the closeness to the hospital in mind.

"Seth," she called as she entered the waiting room on the third floor, where Isabelle where. Seth had called her while she was in the car, wondering where she was.

"Sum, you're finally here." Seth met her on the half way and immediately embraced her. Her face was swollen from tears though at the moment she seemed to be calm and have control.

"Is she okay?" Summer whispered still wrapped tightly in Seth's arms.

"Isabelle's fine. She has a broken arm and a few cuts and bruises though she's okay." He could feel a deep sigh out of relief into his chest fallowed by a 'Thank God'.

"The doctors want her to stay for the night and I suppose we should stay as well. You know how she get's."

"Yeah. Have you seen her?" Seth nodded and that brought Summer's head up from being pressed to his chest.

"Can I?"

"Of course; Mom and dad are in there right now but come on." He took her hand and they made their way towards Isabelle's room.

"Where are Casey and Ava?" Summer's asked, now being able to think straight. She had been so worried that she hadn't even thought about them.

"They have seen her too. I told them to go buy something in the cafeteria." After receiving a look from his wife he continued. "They are okay. Ava got the call so she was upset but I think she's fine now. But don't worry about that now." He placed a kiss on top of Summer's head.

"Oh my God! What about Marissa? Is she okay?" Summer suddenly shrieked, grabbing Seth's arm tightly.

"Summer, Marissa's not out of surgery yet. Since she was in the front seat her injuries are a lot worse. But we don't really know. Ryan's there and her parents are on their way."

"Good. I want to check on her too though later. Now I want to see my baby."

"Me too." Seth placed his hand on the low of her back and they went inside Isabelle's room.

Sandy and Kirsten were standing beside the bed, looking at Isabelle's bruises which she proudly showed them. No one had told her about Marissa.

"Baby," Summer wrapped her arms round her youngest daughter and gently rocked her, trying not to cry.

"Hi mommy." Isabelle said while inside her mother's tight embrace. After a while things started to hurt and she had to tell Summer to let go.

"How are you feeling Belle?" she said and sat down carefully next toe Isabelle on the bed. Summer was small so she could find space. Seth came up behind her and placed his hands on Summer's shoulders for support.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. The doctor gave me some medicine."

"You really scared me baby." Summer softly said and a single tear ran down her cheek.

To be continued...

I wanted to continue but it would be too long so the rest you'll find out in chapter eleven. What do you guys want for Marissa? You tell me.

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews! I love them as always. Keep them coming.

Chapter eleven 

"And then the doctor asked me which colour I wanted and I told him that I wanted it to be blue so it would match my new dress. And then I told him how it looked though he didn't seem that interested so he told me to tell the nurse instead. He said that he was busy though I think that he is like daddy; he's not interested in dresses and pretty things."

Isabelle was telling Seth and Summer, mostly Summer, about everything she'd seen in the hospital. And that was a lot.

"Sweetie, don't you think that you should rest a little bit? It's getting late." Summer said, trying not to sound uninterested. But the truth was that she was a little tired of hearing the same stories over and over again. At first it had been quite fun though now, one and a half hour later, she had to fight not yawning.

"But I'm not tired." Isabelle said stubbornly.

"Belle, why don't you let me tell you a story and we can let mommy go talk to your brother and sister. I bet they're pretty lonely out there. You've had mommy by your side for a long time now." Seth suggested and gave Summer a look. It was true. Summer and he had been in Isabelle's room the whole time and they both knew that Isabelle needed to sleep and they had to go take care of their other two children, even though Sandy and Kirsten were with them.

And of course there was Marissa.

"Will you be back later mommy?"

"Of course I will baby. But let daddy tell you a story, okay?"

"Kay. Bye mommy."

"Bye Belle." Summer rose and gave Isabelle a hug and Seth a kiss on his cheek. "See you later." She gave a wave before she headed out of the room she'd spent hours in. As she closed the door she managed to hear Isabelle starting to talk again. She figured that Seth and Belle could talk together, because no one talked more than the two of them.

"Mom!" Casey cried from his spot on a chair. He ran up to her and wrapped his arms round her waist.

"Hey Casey, you okay?" Summer said and stroked a few of his curls.

"Yeah, though there's nothing to do around here. I've read all kinds of things Grandpa bought me and I've eaten a lot of candy."

"Well, I guess you could go home soon. You don't need to stay here tonight though your father and I will. Where are the others?"

"They are sitting by a table and being all boring. There's nothing to do. I'm bored mom." Casey whined.

"Come on, let's go over there and your grandparents can take you and Ava home." Summer placed her arm round Casey's shoulders and they went to the table where Kirsten, Sandy and Ava sat.

"Hello everyone," Summer said and slid down beside Ava, letting go of her son, who placed himself next to Sandy.

"Hi sweetie," Summer hugged Ava and then turned to Sandy and Kirsten, keeping her arm safely wrapped around Ava.

"How's Belle?" Kirsten asked, holding a cop of coffee in her thin hands.

"She's good. Seth's trying to get her to sleep right now. You don't need to stay here anymore."

"Do you want us to take these two home?" Sandy said and pointed at Ava and ruffled Casey's hair.

"Yeah, that would be great. Do you guys wanna go home?" She turned to her kids, stroking Ava's hair.

"I want to." Casey said and took a smarty into his mouth. Summer smiled; he ate too much sweets.

"What about you Ava?"

"I guess. Though I could stay if you want me to." Ava offered.

"No honey, you go home. Isabelle's fine. And you're probably tired, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but what if something happens?" she looked at her mother uncertainly.

"We'll call if something happens though it won't. Don't worry."

"Fine, though you have to call me if something happens."

"I promise." Summer said reassuringly.

"We can leave now if you want to." Kirsten looked at them.

"Yeah, but go say bye to Isabelle and Seth first. I'm thinking of going to Marissa, I haven't been there yet." Summer told them.

"Okay. Is Belle awake?"

"I think so; she's too excited to sleep."

"She told you the story about when she woke up?" Casey asked standing up to let his grandparents by.

"No, she must have forgotten that one. Did she tell you?"

"Nope, though the nurse said that she had been very scared so that's probably why she doesn't talk about it." Ava explained, her too standing up.

"She's just six years old and she's easily frightened. I thought that she was unconscious but I guess I haven't thought that much about it." Summer thought out load.

"Summer, young kids are strong. They're stronger than you and me. She'll be okay." Kirsten gave her daughter-in-law a hug before letting the kids and Sandy through to say goodbye.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ryan?" Summer said very quietly, checking if he was awake. He sat in a chair, looking very uncomfortable with his head resting in his hand. Summer figured that he was tired; they all were. And he didn't even have to be there. Though she was happy that he was.

She knew that her own worry for Isabelle kept her from worrying about Marissa. Julie and Jimmy were her parents and of course they were on place though it felt good to know that Ryan was with her too.

Summer doubted that two people that once had loved each other so deeply could just throw it all away. It had to be somewhere. It had to mean something.

Even though she probably shouldn't compare her love for Seth with Ryan and Marissa, she did. Back in high school Summer had loved Seth more than anything and even if they hadn't gotten married she would never had stopped loving him. He had been her world for too long. Fortunately he still was.

Marissa and Ryan had loved each other just as much, Summer assumed. Even though they've had some more drama and they didn't end up married, they couldn't just stop love each other. Summer figured.

After studying Ryan for a few moments, she understood that he was asleep. And who could blame him? He had been sitting in this room for several hours, alone.

"Summer," Jimmy and Julie came up to her, holding hands. They looked good together. Marissa hadn't had things easy with her parents though they really did love her. Their kids were a thing that kept them together. And now they were really worried, you could tell by looking at them.

"Hi, how are you two?" Summer asked sympathetically.

"We'll be okay. And you Summer? We heard about Isabelle."

"I'm fine. Isabelle is doing fine too; she only got a few bruises and a broken arm. She'll be back to normal in no time."

"That's good."

"How's Marissa?"

"She's stabile for the moment and the doctor said that she'll recover eventually. We just have to be patient." Jimmy explained as he rubbed his wife's back. "She's still unconscious."

"I'm sorry. But she'll probably wake up soon." Summer couldn't find the right words. Maybe she should be asking if she could see her but the truth was that Summer didn't know if she wanted to. She wasn't ready yet.

Her 'best' friend had just gotten her daughter into a hospital. Was it selfish to think like that? She knew that it had been an accident. But her little girl was still hurt.

"Yeah. Say hi to Belle from us, will ya?" Julie seemed to notice the sudden awkwardness. They knew, too, that Marissa had driven the car.

Marissa may have let Summer down, she may have left and she may be hard to deal with. Though it was their daughter who was seriously injured and not Summer's.

Knowing that now wasn't the time for the conversation; Julie closed her mouth and turned to leave.

"I'm going back to my daughter." She said and left with fast steps. Jimmy gave Summer an apologetically smile and then ran after his wife.

With a deep sigh, Summer turned to leave as well. She left Ryan sleeping in the chair.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Seth watched Isabelle's chest rise and fall. Her soft, brown curls lay like silk on the pillow and she smiled. Maybe she was dreaming something nice.

Seth loved to watch people sleep. He could watch a person he loved and not being slapped because they thought that he was cheesy. Seth wasn't the calm and quiet man most of the times but by secret he loved moments like these.

A sudden knock on the door was heard and Ryan poked his head in.

"Hi," he said. "Can I come in?"

"Of course man." Seth said as Ryan took a seat in the chair Summer had placed with her jacket and purse. "How are you doing? You look tired."

"I'm fine; I guess I fell asleep over there. So I decided to do something you know."

"Like come over to see how your dear brother was doing?"

"My niece actually. You just happened to be here." Ryan said and smirked. "Where's the wife of yours?"

"She went to see Marissa. Didn't you see her?"

"No, but as I said I was taking a nap before."

"Well, she was going there anyway so…"

"Hey Ryan. Awake now, huh?" Summer said as she entered the room. She had a smile on her face and went to sit in Seth's lap since the chairs were occupied. She placed a big kiss on Seth's lips and then turned to Ryan again, not caring about the surprise and confusion on Seth's face.

"When we take Isabelle home tomorrow maybe we can start with the Christmas decorations. To cheer her up. You should bring Paige over. And Felicity is welcome too of course. It'll be really nice." Summer suggested.

"Sure. I'll let her know. But what about…" Ryan's voice died out.

"Marissa." Summer said, not being afraid to bring it up. Seth carefully studied Summer as she sat in his lap, his arms round her waist. She was acting weird.

"Marissa is still in the hospital. We have to continue with our lives. We'll visit her but its Christmas soon. It's nothing wrong with beginning to decorate." She said reassuringly though her voice was different from what it used to be. Her words were different. "Seth? It's nothing wrong with that."

"No honey, it's not. But we'll visit and help Marissa the best we can."

"I should get going. I promised Felicity to call, which I haven't so..." Ryan stood up and arranged Summer's things back to as it had been when he came.

"Yeah, man. Thanks for being here though. It meant a lot." Seth lifted Summer of himself and went to give Ryan a hug. Summer, also stood up and gave Ryan a kiss on his cheek. She didn't say anything though, but sat down in the chair Ryan just left turning her gaze towards the sleeping Isabelle.

"Bye bro." Ryan said, while giving a nod towards Summer.

"She'll be fine. Bye and thanks again."

Ryan left the room.

To be continued…

Please review.

As you might have noticed it took longer than usual for me to update. My life's hectic and I haven't had much inspiration lately. So review! Suggestions are always welcomed.


	12. Chapter 12

The responses for this story hasn't really been so good but a huge thanks to Mrs Cohen and kursk for reviewing.

It's been a while since I last updated but my inspiration for this story has been less than none, so...

Please Read & Review!

Chapter twelve 

The next day the Christmas decoration was spread all over the living room. Summer had kept her word and once they took Isabelle home they had only been doing fun stuff. They had been eating ice cream, seen cartoon and now invited the whole family over to Christmas decorate together. Isabelle had always loved that time of the year, along with the rest of the Cohens. They had kept Seth's Chrismukkah tradition throughout the years.

"Do you think you could help me here Cohen? I'm too short." Summer called from where she was standing, holding a green decoration with red things here and there. Seth, letting go of what he was doing, came over in a swing and helped her hang it up over a vault.

"There you go." Seth happily said and had a big grin on his face. Chrismukkah always made him seem like a little excited boy.

"You're so cute baby." Summer made a face and placed one tiny hand on his chin to bring him down to her length.

"Well, aren't you cute? My little Christmas Angel." He poked her nose and leaned down even more to give her a kiss. It didn't last long but it was all they needed at the moment. As they pulled away, their smiles were as bright if not even brighter.

"I can't wait to decorate the tree. It's so pretty this year." Summer turned her gaze to the giant tree in the space where the living room and the foyer met.

"It is." Seth agreed and wrapped his arm round Summer and began to lead her to the kitchen, where Kirsten was preparing something for them to eat while they decorated.

"Coffee break, just what I needed!" Seth said merrily.

"Cohen! Help your mother and then you might get some coffee. I'm gonna see what everybody else is doing." Summer said and made her way out of the kitchen, seeing Casey and Ryan decorating the banister.

"Hi guys! How's it going?"

"It's going great mom. Look what we've done already!" Casey pointed at the stairs, which was filled with decorations in red and green. He was so proud over himself.

"It's beautiful Case." Summer bent down to kiss her son's forehead. "And Ryan." she continued, turned to Ryan. "Kirsten's making some coffee so you'll be able to take a break soon."

"Thanks Sum. I could use that."

"Hey!" Casey said and crossed his arms over his chest. Instead of saying anything Ryan started to tickle Casey. Summer shook her head and went to the living room.

"Mom! Come and help us." Isabelle waved with the hand that wasn't hurt. She was so excited and everything about her was glowing; the way she smiled and laughed and the way her hair moved as she waved. This moment was just one of those Summer would never forget.

Her daughter was just so amazing. A child was so special and when you thought that you would lose you child, you could just not take it for granted any more. Not that you ever should.

"This looks really nice, Belle." Summer said but didn't actually mean it. Isabelle and Paige were placing far too many decorations on the same places. "Where's your grandfather?"

"He went to get some more decorations."

"More? Is there more?" Summer asked in surprise. They already had tons.

"Yeah, he bought some new. He said that you can never have too much Christmas decorations."

"Okay." Summer said and sighed. The Cohens could sometimes overreact just a bit when it came to the holidays. "We will take a break now and I'm sure that your grandmother has something for you two in the kitchen."

Both Isabelle and Paige started to jump on the place, screaming "Yay!" and rushing to the kitchen. Summer sighed again and sat down on the sofa, picking up a decoration Ava had made when she was a little girl.

Flashback

"Mommy, look!" Ava exclaimed happily, holding up a paper angel. It was very pretty actually, made of white silk paper and it had lots of glitter and other pretty things on it.

Ava had made it, with help from Summer and Marissa. She was five years old and so proud of what she'd made. "Honey, that is so pretty. You did a great job!" Summer said and lifted her daughter into her lap while Marissa was occupied with collecting all the glitter that had fell on the floor.

"Coop, don't you think it's pretty?" Ava asked excitedly as she held her angel carefully, trying not to ruin it.

Marissa sat up on her knees and gave Ava a warm smile. "I think that that angel is the most perfect angel I've ever seen." she said and made Ava giggle.

"Where's daddy? I wanna show him." the little girl said and jumped off her mother's lap, almost dropping the angel. Summer helped her regain her balance and made sure that she had the angel in her small hands. "He's upstairs with Casey, remember?"

That was really all that she needed to say because Ava sprinted towards the stairs and disappeared from their sight.

"She's excited." Marissa confirmed and laughed, cleaning up from the table with help from Summer.

"She really is." Summer agreed and smiled.

"You have raised her well Sum. She's adorable." Summer sat up immediately, a little surprised by Marissa's sudden words.

Marissa sat up as well and laid the silk paper on the table, focusing on her best friend. "You are a great mother."

"Um….Thanks Coop."

"You seem surprised."

"Yeah. I guess I'm just a little taken back for some reason." Summer confessed.

"Why? You know it's true."

"I don't know. It just…it means a lot you saying it."

"I mean it." Marissa said sincerely and put her hand on Summer's knee to show her that she was serious. "It's kind of funny how things worked out." Marissa continued with a slight laugh in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Summer asked, puzzled.

"You and Seth, still together and married with two children. You're a wife and a mother Summer."

"I guess I am."

"I have just always thought that I would be that person, but I'm definitely not."

"Are you happy about that?" Summer carefully asked, knowing that this might be a sensitive area.

"No, I mean I don't know. Of course I want that. Everybody wants that. But I still have time."

"Yeah. You do."

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"I'm jealous of you sometimes."

"You are?"

"Yeah. You just seem to have it all."

"You'll have it some day too Marissa."

"I hope so."

"You'd make a great mom."

"I hope so." Marissa said again, hoping that someday that would actually happen.

End of Flashback

Everything in this house reminded her of Marissa because everything in this house reminded Summer of her life and Marissa was a big part of it, she had been at least. How could it be that Marissa returning to her life was such a big deal? Summer had been fine without her for four whole years. Of course she had missed her and thought about her, wondering where she was and if she was happy but Summer had been just fine. She had been busy with her family and work. The kids had all grown and it wasn't long ago that Isabelle was just a baby. She had been busy. Busy enough to ignore that her friend wasn't there.

A hand on her shoulder ripped Summer from her thoughts. Seth sat down next to her. "You okay?" he gently asked and caressed her chin. Summer nodded and put her head on his shoulder, sighing deeply.

"Thinking of Marissa?" Seth asked again and stroked her hair lovingly. He always knew what she was thinking and Summer loved that about him; he always knew how she was feeling and he always helped her deal with whatever it was.

"Yes." Sumer answered him, not knowing what else to say. She really had no clue what to do or what she wanted to do.

"You miss her." It wasn't a question but a statement. Summer nodded again and snuggled closer to her husband, knowing that the comfort she was seeking was him. "We can go to the hospital later, if you want to. I'll come."

Summer uncertainly whispered a 'yes' and placed her hands on each of his shoulder. "We don't have to tell the others." Seth whispered into her hair. "It'll just be you and me."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Can we stay here for a while? I don't feel like facing the others yet." Summer asked and met his eyes. Seth nodded and pulled her close to him again, leaning against the couch and taking her with him. "I love you, Seth." Summer said wrapping her arms round his waist and kissing his shoulder before lying down.

"I love you," he told her in reply.

ooooooooooooooooo

After a few minutes Seth and Summer walked into the kitchen, meeting their family sitting around the table. Everybody was there, although someone was missing. Marissa.

Seth seems to feel Summer's emotions because he took her hand and led her to a chair. He sat down on it and pulled her into his lap, giving her cheek a kiss. She smiled gratefully and placed his arms so that they were around her.

"Mommy, why are you and daddy sharing the chair?" Isabelle asked, frowning.

"Because we want to, sweetie." Summer replied and smiled.

"Aren't you too old to sit in his lap?"

"Do you think I am?"

"Yes, because daddy sometimes tells me that I'm too old for that." Isabelle said and glared at her father, who sat quietly with his arms round Summer.

"Well, I'm daddy's wife so I'm allowed to sit in his lap no matter how old I get." Summer explained and Isabelle seemed to accept the answer because she returned to chat with Paige about Paige's new puppy.

Summer shrugged and got herself and Seth some coffee.

"Summer, what are we gonna do about this Friday?" Kirsten suddenly asked as she sipped some coffee. Summer rapidly turned her head towards Seth and looked at him; she hadn't even thought about that.

"Um…well…um," Summer really had no idea what to do. She had totally forgotten about it and they had invited so many people to surprise Marissa. "Should we cancel?"

"I don't know. Every thing's already paid for and all the invitations are out." Kirsten said.

"Marissa won't be out from the hospital by Friday. It's her party but since we already have paid…we can't tell everybody that they can't come." Sandy added.

"But the whole point of this party was for Marissa to meet everybody; it was her welcome home party."

"Let's ask Marissa." Summer said, interrupting the Kirsten and Sandy's anxious talking.

"Is she awake?"

"She doesn't know about the party."

"I know, but there is no reason for us not to tell her now. Who knows, maybe she'll get happy."

"Are you gonna go and see her then?" Kirsten asked in surprise. Ryan had told her about Summer's weird behaviour.

"Yes. Seth and I are going there later."

"Oh, good then. Hopefully she'll be awake."

"Yeah."

"Why don't you just go now? You could use a break from all the decorations and I'm sure that there will be lots left for you when you get back." Kirsten suggested, sensing that Summer was very eager in seeing her friend. "We'll save the tree for later."

"Well, if it's okay. Maybe it's just best to get it over with." Summer said, turning to Seth.

"Sure, we'll go right now." he said and took Summer's hand.

Once again, she smiled gratefully at him.

To be continued...

Hopeully you'll review and I will get some inspiration to write more.

Suggestions are alwasy welcomed.

Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Thought I'd post this. Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter thirteen 

Seth and Summer walked into the room which Marissa lay in. They had the permission to go inside but it still felt forbidden in some way. It felt weird.

"Do you really think that we should do this?" Summer asked unsurely as Seth closed the door behind them.

It was too late to consider walking out again though. "Summer?" Seth and Summer quickly turned towards the bed and saw Marissa look back at them.

"Hey, sweetie." Summer softly said and walked closer, almost forgetting about her insurance. It felt naturally to just walk up to her friend and grab her hand.

"Hi Marissa!" Seth said and laid a hand on Marissa's shoulder, giving her a smile as well. "It's good to have you back."

"Thank you, Seth."

After receiving a tiny smile from his wife Seth excused himself and left Summer alone with Marissa. "I'm glad that you're okay, Coop." Summer said after a few moments of silence.

"Thanks, Sum. How's Isabelle?"

"She's fine. Just a broken arm, no big deal."

"I'm sorry."

"It was an accident. And she's just fine, back to her normal self." Summer explained not wanting her friend to feel guilty. She knew that Marissa had a lot of things to deal with and somehow things had just gotten from bad to worse. Marissa always managed to get things in her surroundings more complicated. Life had never been easy for her.

"I wish that it hadn't happen though. I only wanted to help you guys and take her shopping. She's wonderful Summer." Marissa's eyes let a few tears slide down her cheeks, still swollen from the accident.

"Marissa-" Summer started but trailed off. She placed both of her hands on top of Marissa's and continued. "It _was _an accident, okay? I'm not mad. No one's mad at you. We jut want you to be okay." She stroked some of Marissa's thick hair behind one ear, glad that the tears had stopped. "And speaking of that, we had actually planned a welcome back party for you this Friday." she continue, hoping to get the blonde in a better mood.

"You did?" Marissa asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Although I don't think that the doctor's will let you out of here that soon." Summer explained sadly.

"I know."

"What do you think? Should we wait till you're better?"

"No, haven't you already paid for everything?"

"Well, yes. But the whole point was having you there." Summer said and stroked Marissa's hair, searching her friend's face.

"Summer?" Marissa asked after some time of just laying there while Summer played with her hair. The brunette made a 'hmm' sound and smiled, waiting for Marissa to start talking. "Thanks for everything. It means so much that we're still friends."

"Of course we're still friends, Coop. we'll always be." Summer smiled.

"You're a great friend. Letting me stay at your house and letting me spend time with your family." Marissa explained and paused. "I'm really sorry about this."

Summer almost started to cry as she saw the look on Marissa's face. She looked so young and confused. And it was so sad because Marissa could be this awesome person and she deserved the best life but somehow it never worked out for her. Somehow things always happened; the drama never seemed to stop.

"Coop," Summer started and fought to hold the tears back as a few slid down Marissa's cheeks. "I love you and things are gonna be okay. I'm gonna help you fix this, okay?" Marissa nodded a little as she kept crying. Summer leaned down and hugged her friend, trying her best to calm her down and show that no matter what she was right there.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Sweetie, can I come in?" Seth gently asked as he knocked on the door to Ava's room. This time he would make sure that he was welcomed and that she was fully clothed.

"Yeah, sure." Ava yelled from inside and Seth carefully opened the door and peaked his head in to see if it was okay. Ava was sitting on her bed with some papers in front of her. And she was fully dressed.

"Hi, what're you doing?"

Ava shrugged and made some room for her father to sit on her bed as well. "I'm just preparing for the Christmas concert. It's only a few days left."

Seth nodded and glanced at all the papers lying spread over the bed; it was mostly lyrics, he could tell. "It's going to be great, Ava." he told her and smiled.

"I hope so."

"So, how are you?" Seth carefully asked, mostly referring on the accident.

"I'm okay. I just hope that Marissa will be alright."

"She will. She seemed to be just fine before when I and your mother were at the hospital."

"Are you gonna cancel the party?"

"No, we're just gonna have it later once Marissa is out from the hospital. There's no point in having a party without the main guest."

"I guess not."

"So, you sure that you're okay? I mean, it must have been really scary when the doctor called and you were alone."

Ava uncomfortably shifted a little and forced to meet her father's gaze. "It was but it's over now."

"I know, but if you want to talk-" Seth started but was interrupted.

"I don't!" Ava said loudly, surprising Seth a bit.

"Okay then, sorry. But if you change your mind I'm always here and your mother is as well." Seth said and rose from the bed, knowing that Ava wanted him to leave. She didn't say a word and kept her eyes focused on the bed comforter.

Once Seth had closed the door the tears started to fall and she lay down, burying her face in the pillows. Her sobbing was muffled by all the pillows but her whole body shook uncontrollably.

After crying for a while, not knowing what the reason actually was, she fell asleep.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Did you see that, baby?" Summer asked as she sat with her back resting onto Seth's chest.

Seth replied while continuing with what they'd been doing the past minutes; kissing her. He wasn't allowed to touch her lips though so he placed soft kissed all over her neck. "Yeah, I did."

"Well, did you make a wish?"

"No." Seth told her in a calm voice, caressing her arms.

"Cohen, you're supposed to make a wish when you see a falling star. Don't you know that?"

Seth waited a few moments before he whispered in her ear "I'm busy." He then continued with the kissing and before Summer had the chance to say something, his lips were covering hers.

The careful brush against her lips made Summer all relaxed and she couldn't resist the kiss. Her husband was an excellent kisser. He was always being so gentle with her and Summer had no idea how he knew the ways into a woman's heart so well. He knew exactly how to treat her and make her forget that anything beside the two of them existed.

Having kissed for a few moments, Seth slowly pulled away and brushed her bottom lip with his thumb. He smiled and watched her intensely before leaning in to kiss her again.

It was as tenderly this time and Summer wanted nothing more than to just keep kissing him and stay in his arms under the stars all night.

"Summer," Seth said, his breathing heavy after a lingering kiss, resting his forehead against hers.

"Hmm," Summer said almost falling asleep. She was so comfortable and relaxed that she could fall asleep any second.

"What did you wish for?"

Summer smiled and lay her head down on his shoulder, bringing his hand up to her face. "I can't tell you. Then it won't come true." she whispered and brought his hand to her mouth kissing it all over.

"You're an angel, Summer Elizabeth Cohen."

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Mommy?" Isabelle asked as she tipped on her toes into her parents' bedroom. "Daddy?"

Summer stirred a little in Seth's arms and buried her face further into the pillow. Seth seemed to be sleeping like a rock though.

"Mommy?" Isabelle called again and climbed into the bed and under the sheets. She easily got room as Summer and Seth lay so close that they took up about the same space a s a normal person would do.

"Sweetie?" Summer said and sat up with the sheet tightly pressed against her chest. Both she and Seth were still naked. "Is something wrong?" she said as her daughter made herself comfortable in the bed.

"I want to sleep in here." Isabelle said yawning and closed her eyes. Summer's lips formed into a smile as she watched her daughter fall back asleep.

"Seth," she pushed her husband carefully, trying to wake him up. They couldn't remain naked when they had their six year old daughter in their bed. "Seth!" she tried a little louder this time but he was still not moving. "Cohen, wake up!" This time Summer used her nails and it worked.

"Ow!" Seth yelled and sat up. "Summer, what are you doing?" he asked as he rubbed the place on his arms where she'd pinched him.

"Shhh!" Summer said, placing her hand over his mouth pointing at Isabelle on her right side. She released the grip over Seth's mouth as he seemed to understand. "We need to get dressed."

"She's supposed to sleep in her own bed."

"I know, but she's so cute. And she's been in an accident." Summer pleaded, not wanting Seth to carry her back to her own bedroom.

"Alright. But she's sleeping next to you."

"Thanks." Summer smiled and gave Seth a kiss. "Now, we have to get dressed."

"Yeah, we kind of do."

They both got up and as they were dressing themselves they noticed their clothes from the day before spread on the floor. "We better clean this up." Summer said as she grabbed Seth's shirt from the floor and tossed it to him.

Seth wearing a T-shirt and his boxers and Summer wearing one of Seth's T-shirt's and her boy shorts they both laid back in bed. Close together they fell asleep with Summer holding Isabelle's healthy hand in her own.

To be continued...

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